Green Leaf Report

Recently I read an article about a neighborhood in Dallas that was trying to have less of a negative environmental impact- the article listed all of the great things architects were doing in the area, then listed the starting house price: $700k.  For some parts of the country, this is not an unusual price, but in Dallas, the average home price is still around $150k- this is the home price supported by local salaries.  These weren’t going to be our average citizens buying the environmentally sensitive homes.

The big question- how do we make residential environmental changes more attainable for the average person?  It’s easier to pay for polluting energy sources with a small deposit and low monthly payments to the local utility company than it is to come up with the money for solar panels on the roof, and then get the payback later.

I noticed an advertisement for a rental solar panel company; it appeared to only be for a predetermined amount of time, though.  How about a next step of a rent-to-own solar panel company?  Long-term payments that are in the range of utility bills would allow for more consumer adoption of this technology on homes. It would remove the large capital up-front requirement, and still have the long-term benefits of purchasing solar panels.  This structure may also help overcome the average person’s doubts about the reliability of solar power.