Identify the account
Confirm the utility, service address, account holder, and recent electricity use.
For nonprofit organizationsFOR NEW MEXICO NONPROFITS
Could community solar lower your nonprofit’s electric costs?
Possibly. This guide is for evaluating the electric account your nonprofit pays and the written subscription terms offered to the organization.
Carl Marquis is a paid community solar sales representative for Enchantment Acquisitions, LLC, an authorized partner of Zia CS Services, LLC d/b/a Solscribe, an affiliate of Affordable Solar Group, LLC. He is compensated when someone enrolls through this site.
Review the nonprofit accountPATH 1 · THE NONPROFIT PAYS THE BILL
Review it as an account-and-contract decision.
Nonprofits are eligible regardless of rate class. The organization still needs an eligible utility account, available project capacity, and written economics that are worthwhile for the account. Rural cooperative and municipal utility accounts are not eligible under this program.
Request an eligibility review
Provide a recent electric bill and service address to Carl Marquis. The provider will verify whether the account qualifies and whether project capacity is available. Checking eligibility does not commit the nonprofit to enroll.
Compare the real numbers
Review projected utility bill credits, subscription charges, fees, and estimated net savings using the nonprofit’s actual bills. A discount on solar bill credits is not the same as that percentage off the total electric bill.
Complete internal review
Check the written term, renewal, price changes, cancellation, transfer rights, data handling, authority to sign, and any board, procurement, grant, or landlord requirements.
Move forward only if the account qualifies, the written economics are worthwhile, and the right person or governing body approves.
FOR INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS
Sharing the opportunity with people you serve?
Clients, members, congregants, tenants, employees, and program participants should use the residential guide for their own household accounts. Each person can review eligibility, savings, and terms and make an independent decision.
Open the residential guideA DRAFT FOR LEADERSHIP
Need to start an internal review?
This draft requests fact-finding, not approval to enroll. Edit the bracketed details before sending.
Subject: Reviewing community solar for our nonprofit
Hi [Name],
I’d like us to check whether New Mexico’s Community Solar Program could benefit [Organization name] at [Service address].
The program uses an off-site shared solar project, so it would not require panels or construction at our location. If our electric account qualifies, it may receive utility bill credits connected to a separate subscription charge.
Savings are not guaranteed. My suggested next step is to confirm eligibility and compare the projected credits, subscription charges, fees, term, renewal, price-change provisions, and cancellation rules in writing. We would then follow our normal approval process before making any commitment.
Here is a plain-language overview for nonprofits:
https://carlmarquis.com/save/nonprofits
Would you be open to a fact-finding review of the account and written terms?
Thanks,
[Your name]
COMMON QUESTIONS
What should a nonprofit ask?
Does nonprofit status automatically qualify our account?
Nonprofit status resolves the customer-class question — nonprofits are eligible regardless of rate class. What still has to check out is the utility (PNM, El Paso Electric, or Xcel/SPS), available project capacity, and whether the economics are worthwhile for the account. Review the numbers in writing before deciding.
Do we need to own our building?
Not necessarily. Community solar is tied to an eligible utility account rather than rooftop ownership. A lease, landlord policy, or internal approval process may still affect who can sign an agreement.
Do we need solar panels?
No. The solar project is located elsewhere. The nonprofit keeps its existing utility service and does not need rooftop equipment.
Does the household income discount apply to our nonprofit’s bill?
Do not assume that it does. Household income-qualified offers and organizational-account offers are different. Review the exact rate, bill-credit discount, and estimated total-bill savings offered for the nonprofit’s account in writing.
What if we want to share this with people we serve?
Send individuals to the residential guide. Each person should evaluate eligibility, savings, and enrollment for their own household account and make an independent decision.
Are savings guaranteed?
No. Results depend on the value of bill credits, subscription charges, electricity use, fees, contract terms, project production, and future program or utility changes.
WHY THIS WEBSITE EXISTS
Clear information before a decision.
I created The Save Project to explain community solar in plain language so nonprofit leaders can decide whether an offer fits their organization’s electric account.
I am a paid community solar sales representative. If an account appears to qualify, I can explain the next step and written offer. If it does not appear to be a fit, I will say so.
— Carl Marquis
VERIFY IT YOURSELF
Official sources
Do not rely on this page alone. These sources contain New Mexico’s law, current rule, program information, and utility materials.