As part of its lenoxunplugged campaign, Lenox, Mass., is offering homeowners grants of up to $2,000 to install solar on their homes. The town was selected as one of 35 municipalities in Massachusetts designated as a green community under the state’s Green Communities Act.

The town held a meeting Dec. 6, unveiling the grants to interested residents and to show them how to apply, said Lenox’s sustainability coordinator Keith O'Neil.

“The event really celebrates the launch of the initiative,” he said.

The lenoxunplugged campaign is funded by Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

As one of a few municipalities that qualified as a green community, Lenox met certain criteria including committing to reducing energy use by 20 percent over five years, pursuing alternative energy projects, and supporting renewable energy research and manufacturing.

The grants are available in addition to Massachusetts’ renewable energy incentives, as well as federal incentives, O’Neil explained.

The grants are offered for multiple forms of solar energy, including hot water and photovoltaics.

“On top of solar hot water or PV, there’s a third option, a power-purchase agreement,” he said.

He explained that residents wanting to install solar, but can’t afford it, can enter into a power-purchase agreement with a third-party to finance and install the system and use the grant to pay for any up-front costs.

In fact, with a power-purchase agreement and the grant money, the cost of installing solar in Lenox could actually be almost nothing. In the case of power-purchase agreement-financed solar systems, the amount of the grant is dependent on how much up-front costs the home or property owner is liable for, O’Neil explained.

At the meeting, Chris Vreeland of Precision Decisions LLC, discussed all the financial awards available for residents that want to install solar, O’Neil said. And installers and contractors were also onsite to offer their services to residents. Residents could apply for the grants at the meeting, but also can apply for them at the town’s website.

The town received $180,000 from the state to encourage sustainability.

“Out of that pool of money, we earmarked $75,000 in mini-grants for commercial and residential property owners,” he said.

The rest of the money is being used to retrofit existing municipal buildings and schools.

Pictured: A bridge in Lenox, Mass.