The Solarize NOVA program has returned to Falls Church City and Vienna for its second year. The program, which will have its first run in the City of Fairfax, started on Tuesday, March 15 and will run through May 15.

Through the Solarize program, residents of the Falls Church, Vienna and the City of Fairfax can take advantage of free solar site assessments, the convenience of a streamlined process for installing solar power in their homes and affordable rates for installing solar power due to bulk purchasing discounts.

Area residents can visit the solarizenova.org website to sign up for a free solar site assessment and browse the listing of contractors available to install solar power at lower than usual rates. According to Tim Stevens, chair of the City’s Energy Transition Subcommittee, the cost of installing solar is ten percent cheaper than it was last year.

Also, Stevens said that the Local Energy Alliance Program, who is running the Solarize program in partnership with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and the participating municipalities, has expanded the hours in which residents can receive the free solar site assessments. Last year, the site assessments could only be performed during weekday, work hours, but this year homeowners can schedule site assessments for weekday evenings and weekends.

As with last year, Falls Church Mayor David Tarter has entered into a contest with the mayors of the other participating municipalities over who will have the most residents and homeowners sign up for the program through the end of the campaign in May.

The City of Falls Church Solarize program will have a launch event on Sunday, April 3 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack at 130 N. Washington Street. For more information, visit solarizefallschurch.org.