Is there REALLY a free roofing or free solar program in Massachusetts? 
You may have seen the advertisements. Is it clickbait? The old bait and switch-aroo? Ask a local established solar installer, and get honest answers! 
Can you really get free re-roofing, free tree work, free electrical upgrades, free energy storage, a free EV charger, or a FREE solar installation with free electricity? Ready… YES and NO! Stick around until the end!
If you sort through the huge national DSIRE database, and find the 122 different federal, state, and local renewable energy incentives listed for the state of Massachusetts I believe you will NOT see any such program for any such freebies on:
And seeing dozens more programs on the state website:
“There is no such thing as a free lunch” (or other variants) is a popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing. The acronyms TANSTAAFL, TINSTAAFL, and TNSTAAFL are also used. The phrase was in use by the 1930s, but its first appearance is unknown. The “free lunch” in the saying refers to the formerly common practice in American bars of offering a “free lunch” in order to entice drinking customers.
The phrase and the acronym are central to Robert A. Heinlein’s 1966 science-fiction novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, which helped popularize it. The free-market economist Milton Friedman also increased its exposure and use by paraphrasing it as the title of a 1975 book, and it is used in economics literature.” Credit: Wikipedia
So how do these marketing companies get away with such claims? These are mostly claims from lead generation companies, not local solar installers. 
It sure seems like a stretch of the truth because the project has to be funded somehow. The popular thought is often that what you’re really doing is a “bill swap” so that ultimately it doesn’t cost you anything more out of pocket. I get that. It means eliminating an electric bill and taking advantage of all of the assorted benefits by going solar. You can put no money down, start saving money right away, and get a free system or roof by diverting your energy costs in a way more advantageous for you. It actually all adds up and is easily verified.
SO… Ready? You are looking 
at a picture of what could be considered a FREE roof and FREE 5 kW solar installation we did. We were just wrapping up the installation, and our trucks are there in the drone image.
The details of this Centerville Project: In August of 2018 the team at Falmouth Solar installed this project for a couple who were recently retired. We roofed the dormer section where the solar array was installed so that they would have years of trouble-free service. We hid all the conduit and wiring internally so nothing was showing. I received a call from them about a year ago wondering if there was any service that was required because the system was just reliably cranking along!
I looked up their financial spreadsheet last night and saw that the expected Return On Investment (ROI) was at about 6 years. So it looks like they are on track within the next few months to have what could be considered a free roof and a free solar installation
And they are going into their retirement years with 100% free electricity going forward
If you asked this Cape Cod customer of ours would they say that their roof and solar were free? Or maybe that it was a great investment (or reallocation of funds). Maybe they would say the project offered them an unbelievable Internal Rate of Return (IRR). 
The team at Falmouth Solar would love to have the opportunity to run the numbers for you. Then you can apply whatever labels you find appropriate to going solar; as an investment, a bill swap, a redirection of funds, or ultimately as free.
As always we offer a free consultation, a thorough solar site survey, a shading analysis if needed, a financial spreadsheet, design, and a no-pressure proposal.
Our certified GAF roofing comes with a 50-year warranty, the solar with a 25-year production warranty and a 10-year workmanship warranty.
14 years of quality installations one at a time by a local triple-certified Cape Cod solar installer.
What are YOU waiting for? Are you waiting for it to be FREE? You could say IT
