By BARBARA HENRY – Staff Writer, North County Times
ENCINITAS —- Shifting to solar power can be a costly proposition, but the city of Encinitas is considering a way to make those start-up costs less onerous.
Under a proposal that the City Council asked staff to review earlier this month, homeowners could pay off new solar installation expenses through 20-year loans. The loans would appear on their yearly property tax bills.
“The beauty is in the simplicity,” local solar company owner Marty Reed said in a telephone interview.
Reed, who is helping the city put together the program, said the loan option is available thanks to the passage in June of Assembly Bill 811. That legislation allows cities to create private financing agreements if those programs encourage the installation of solar panels and other energy-saving equipment. More…