Recently, Oregon’s Sierra Club partnered with RS Energy to offers it members—and newly joining members—a discount on installing a photovoltaic array for their homes.

Those that choose the discount will also help the Sierra Club chapter raise further funds for the organization, since in addition to offering the discounts, RS Energy will make a donation for every system it installs through the arrangement.

“We’re thrilled about this opportunity to empower our members and supporters to save thousands of dollars on their energy bills and be part of shaping Oregon’s clean energy future,” Brian Pasko, director of the Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter, said in a press release. “Moving Oregon beyond the use of coal as an energy source has been a key priority for the Sierra Club for years, and this new program is integral to the success of that campaign,”

RS Energy installed a photovoltaic system at Pasko’s home earlier this month, said RS Energy co-owner Billy Sorenson.

RS Energy also is a SunRun installer, which means homeowners can also opt for that company’s solar power service. It gives homeowners an opportunity to have solar installed on their homes for little upfront costs. Sierra Club members can also choose the SunRun option, Sorenson said.

“A lot of people go with SunRun. Even if they go through SunRun we still make a donation,” he said.

On the other hand, those that choose to purchase a system outright can qualify for a per watt discount of more than 20 cents per watt. That means the average installed system cost of $5.65 per watt can be as low as $5.40 per watt, according to Sorenson.

So a 2.5 kilowatt system could cost as little as $13,500 with the discount as opposed to $14,125 without it.

Though the campaign was recently announced, some homeowners that choose to go solar through the Sierra Club will have their system operational in July.

“It just got going on [June] 13. So we’re eight days into it; we’ve met with a lot of people and are signing contracts now,” Sorenson said. “The ones from last week will be going up in about three weeks.”

The company would be able to do it quicker, Sorenson said, but getting all the necessary permits and work orders takes a couple of weeks, making the overall project turnaround time about 4 weeks, he said.

RS Energy also is offering a discount campaign through the Solarize Salem program, according to Sorenson.

Image courtesy of RS Energy.