Solar Power is a renewable form of energy generated from the sun to produce electricity that powers our homes, places of work, churches, and businesses. Solar panels turn the energy and light from the sun into electricity that we can use to power our lives.

Solar energy is one of the most affordable new forms of electricity available and can help you save money every month! Solar energy also creates electricity from a renewable power source – the sun! – that doesn’t pollute our air or water, and it creates thousands of highpaying jobs for our community. Think about the last time your power went out. Hedge against future utility rates rises.

Solar energy produced on your rooftop goes into your home to power anything that requires electricity; a TV, computer, air conditioner, lights, electric vehicles, etc. Every bit of solar electricity you produce and use in your home is energy you don’t have to purchase from the power company.

Because you are producing your own electricity, you won’t need to purchase as much power from the utility company. That means that your electricity bill will be smaller than it is today. Most homeowners can cut their utility bill in half, or more! Some, but not all, utility companies will also provide a credit for any solar energy that gets sent back to their grid.

Some utilities charge for solar energy, and some utilities offer a small credit if your solar energy system ever provides electricity back to the grid. Your Georgia BRIGHT solar professional will help you understand your utilities-specific solar policy and how you can best benefit from a solar energy system.

The amount of power your solar energy system can generate depends on sunlight. As a result, your solar panels will produce slightly less energy when the weather is cloudy and no energy at night. However, because of high electricity costs and financial incentives, solar is smart even if you live in a cloudy city.

When you install solar panels on your property, you will still be connected to the grid. This allows you to draw from the grid when your system is not producing all the power you need and send power back to the grid when you produce more than you use. It is possible to go off the grid with a solar energy system that includes battery storage. Still, it will cost significantly more and is unnecessary for most homeowners.

Capital Good Fund’s BRIGHT program is designed to reach low- to moderateincome (LMI) homeowners in Georgia. To keep eligibility simple, we have set a gross annual household income limit of $150,000 or less per year. This income limit   allows the program to focus on homeowners who have historically had the least   access to solar energy, yet have the greatest energy burden.

No, there is no upfront cost with Capital Good Fund’s BRIGHT lease.* By leasing your solar system from Capital Good Fund, you will have no down payment, no hidden fees, and you won’t make any payments until after your system is generating energy.

We designed the BRIGHT lease to deliver month-one savings on your utility bill, and the payment will depend on the size of your home, your current bill, and other factors. That said, the average amount you will pay for the BRIGHT lease is ~$47 a month** resulting in monthly savings of $20, as shown:

On average, homeowners will save 15% per month on their utility bill.** Potential savings vary by individual homeowner and are influenced by several factors such as daily home energy usage and your utility provider.

To maximize savings to customers, the BRIGHT Lease has what’s called an annual “escalator”, which means that, once per year, the monthly lease payment increases by 2.69%. This allows us to set a starting lease payment that results in immediate savings; and because energy bills tend to increase by about 3% per year, you should always be saving more than if you hadn’t gone solar. See the below example:

Capital Good Fund does not use credit scores to determine your eligibility for leasing your solar system. We do pull credit, however, we do so in order to understand your payment history and payment trends, as well as to estimate your debt-to-income ratio. Our criteria for leasing solar systems are much less strict than if you were to take out a solar loan through other financing options.

As a mission-driven nonprofit, at Capital Good Fund we do everything we can to assist you in times of difficulty. Our Servicing Team can change your payment date within the month, connect you with resources (such as our Financial Coaching program), and even offer deferred payments. In the event of a default–meaning you simply cannot afford to make ongoing lease payments–the worst-case scenario is that we would remove the panels from your roof.

While the BRIGHT lease is only available to those earning $150K / year or less, those making more can still benefit from the lowest cost-per-watt we’ve negotiated with our EPCs; they will simply have to pay cash for or finance the system with a loan or lease from another provider. Also, as a non-governmental program, we are flexible about how that $150K limit is assessed.

Sign up for a free consultation from Georgia BRIGHT. Our trained experts will help take a look at your home / nonprofit to help determine if it’s “solar ready”. Ideal solar homes have plenty of unobstructed sunlight on their roofs at all hours of the day and have a roof that is less than 12 years old.

Once the EPC has designed a system that the customer is happy with, they will receive a link to apply. The application takes 10 – 20 minutes to fill out; it is available online, 24/7, in English and Spanish. After submitting the app, they will need to upload some documents, such as bank or prepaid card statements. An underwriter will then review and approve, deny, or request more information within two business days. If approved, the customer will upload final documentation, such as a photo ID or pay stub and then sign the loan agreement.

From signing the lease to getting panels on your roof, it typically takes anywhere between 30 to 60 days. From the time the panels are installed, it can be 6 weeks or so depending on the utility. BRIGHT has the ability to get inspections done quickly, however the production process for Georgia Power can make it lengthy to get approved to operate.

Yes. Your bill is dependent on your house and will differ from month to month. For example, even if you don’t consume any electricity from Georgia Power, you will still get a bill because they act as standby service. The goal is to cut utility bills in half with the ability to go as high as 70% – 80% with a battery.

Under Georgia BRIGHT, no. Capital Good Fund has necessary insurance on the systems. If they own the system, they should call their insurance to let them know. Some may require a rider but insurance companies are getting more and more comfortable with solar.

Any home that has a roof and good access to sunlight. Good access generally means at least 8 hours of average sunlight daily. On average, Georgia gets 4.75 hours of peak sun. If you’re looking to back up your whole home through battery storage, you have to bring your electrical system up to code.

A system in which solar panels or other renewable energy generators are connected to a public-utility power grid and surplus power is transferred onto the grid, allowing customers to offset the cost of power drawn from the utility. True net metering is the grid being your “battery”, financially storing that excess energy for you. The best Net Metering option in Georgia is monthly, which means you have to use the power sent back within a month.

Yes. Your Georgia BRIGHT team will address this during your home assessment.

The enrollment period for the Georgia BRIGHT program is started in September of 2023 and will run through October 2024.

If you decide to lease your solar system through Georgia BRIGHT, we will be responsible for your solar system, including panels, inverters, and other equipment. As the owner of the panels, we will repair any broken or damaged panels***. We will also monitor your panels to ensure they are generating the amount of power promised so you can take full advantage of your solar panels and maximize your savings.

Your Georgia BRIGHT team will have access to everyone’s monitoring and they get an alert if something is wrong. Most of the time, that is a communications error (i.e. you changed your wifi). The second most common is pests, if rodents have access to your roof they may build nests under solar arrays and chew on wires (mainly in winter). A pest guard can be installed to prevent this. We don’t recommend homeowners go up on roofs to wash it. Production estimates factor in losses throughout the life of the system.

Yes, you will likely need a permit from your city or town and what is called Permission to Operate (PTO) from your utility. Don’t worry! Your solar installer will work with the city or town, as well as your utility company, to get the system installed and turned on.

At this time, only homeowners are able to apply for a Capital Good Fund BRIGHT lease. We are working to incorporate renters in the lease program in the near future.

Usually, homeowners transfer the lease to the buyer, who inherits the savings and the lease payments. There is an option to pay off the system for fair market value.