Of all the trends in home additions, green home improvements are certainly among the most unexpected. Just 10 years ago, the idea that such a large number of American homeowners would be looking to incorporate solar kit panels, geothermal pumps, and a slew of other modern green technology into their homes would have been nearly inconceivable.
As Motley Fool reports, even as the cost for traditional energy sources have started plummeting, homeowners have continued to invest more and more of their hard-earned money in solar panel installation. In Detroit, for example, residents struggling to make ends meet have been given specialized grants that allow them to install solar panel kits on their homes. A growing number of residents across the city now have access to clean, affordable energy. The economic benefits for the city are already making waves.
Whether in the economically crippled Motor City or elsewhere across the United States, this same trend is taking hold. Americans want green home construction that incorporates the latest and greatest in green energy technology. That’s why, as the Solar Energy Industries Association shows, American homeowners now have the potential to power 3.2 million homes using their solar panel kits, marking an increase in the adoption of this technology of more than 300% since 2011. Noticing the shift in consumer sentiment, a number of American companies are using the demand for solar technology to start a new employee benefits program. So far, the hiring incentive seems to be working.
Deals on Solar Could Be Enough to Convince a New Hire
A new program started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Solar Community Initiative, has enlisted Cisco Systems, 3M, National Geographic, and Kimberly-Clark. As part of their membership in the initiative, each of the member companies has agreed to provide their employees with significant discounts on home solar panel kits. The program is now available to more than 100,000 people.
The aim of the program is, of course, to improve the adoption of increasingly popular solar technologies among American homeowners, and, in doing so, help reduce America’s impact on the climate. The member companies also aim to keep employees satisfied, and to keep retention numbers high through the new initiative. With discounts offering employees 34% off the average American sale price for these sun-powered technologies, according to a report from The New York Times, it’s hard to imagine the WWF’s new project being anything but successful.
Would you go to work for a company if you knew they offered deals on solar panel kits? Tell us why or why not in the comments below.
