Solar United Neighbors organizing another group purchase program in Denver

Denver residents can learn about home energy upgrades at a free event called "Powering Our Communities," happening Tuesday, September 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Montclair Recreation Center. Solar United Neighbors and Rewiring America are hosting the session to explain how rooftop solar, battery storage, and heat pumps (systems that both heat and cool a home using electricity) work, and how group purchasing can lower the cost of installing them.

The event supports Switch Together, a group-buying program run with the city and county of Denver. Signing up is free and doesn't commit you to any project. Instead, organizers use the combined buying power of everyone who joins to negotiate lower prices with vetted contractors. Last year, 5,000 Colorado residents signed up and nearly 1,000 went solar, with participants getting an average group discount of $5,135, about 20 percent off. More than 20 income-qualified Denver families also got extra help through a city rebate program, saving an average of $6,000 more on top of the group discount.

If you're a Denver homeowner who has considered solar, battery storage, or a heat pump but wasn't sure where to start, this event offers a low-pressure way to get information and see whether the group program's pricing and rebates make sense for your house.