Save With Dave

Save With Dave: Solar Panel Lease

ROCKLIN (CBS13) ― What if we told you, you could lease solar panels for a small price and start saving big on your electric bill? We found one Rocklin family that's doing it already.

For many of us it's too expensive to buy solar panels.

"If you were to buy them, typically you'd see for the smaller systems it'd be between $10-15,000. But it can go as high as $100,000 plus," says Scott Van Der Linden.

But Scott and Carrie Van Der Linden found an affordable alternative. They're leasing the panels for $200 a months from a company called Solarcity.

"We get the benefit of reducing our PG&E bill and using our own power. In our backyard, we have an unlimited supply of sunlight so we decided to go take advantage of that with the solar panel," says Scott.

The Van Der Linden's put no money down and already they're saving on their electric bill.

"We watched the meter going backwards and it was exciting because we'd be listening to the air conditioner come on and we'd still see it spinning backward so that's something to cheer about," explains Carrie.

To qualify for a solar panel lease you need a credit score of 700 or more, and be willing to sign a 15-year lease.

"It's a great opportunity for you to generate your own clean power and to save money."

In the Van Der Linden's case, it's about $75 to $100 a month. One other thing about the 15-year lease is if you move you have the option of moving the solar panels to your new home.

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