Prepaid Lease Program
A New Kind of Leasing Option
Save Money on Solar or Storage, Starting Day One!
Pay upfront. Save about 30%. Own it later.
The residential solar tax credit ended on December 31, 2025. A prepaid lease is how Washington homeowners still capture comparable savings by routing the project through commercial solar incentives instead.
The Mechanics of a Prepaid Lease vs Cash or Loan Purchase
Select Your System
Choose solar, solar-plus-battery, or battery only, and compare the prepaid amount against the standard cash price.
Prepay the lease
Pay the agreed amount up front. There’s no monthly lease payment after that.
Participate holds the lease
Participate Energy, not A&R, owns the system and monetizes the commercial incentive. They’re also your point of contact for service during this period.
Potential ownership transfer
Anytime after year six, you may take ownership of the system outright, or continue the lease to term.
Why Homeowners Choose It
The savings are real. So are the guardrails.
Lower Out of Pocket Cost
Versus purchasing the same system with cash. A third party, Participate Energy, monetizes the commercial tax benefit and you receive the value
No Lien — Your title stays clear
The agreement is structured without a lien on your home, reducing mortgage, refinance, or resale complications.
No Escalator — One number, permanently
A fixed, predictable structure. No annual rate increases baked into the fine print.
Simple Transfer — Selling doesn't get harder
If you sell your home, the agreement reassigns to the new homeowner with a straightforward transfer document, subject to your agreement’s terms.
Disclaimer: This page is a general overview, not tax or legal advice. Tax treatment, incentive availability, transfer rights, and fair-market-value requirements depend on your final agreement, system configuration, applicable law, and eligibility. Your A&R Solar Design Consultant will walk through the specifics of your own agreement.
How Does a Prepaid Lease Work?
A&R Solar designs and installs your system. Participate Energy is a third party who owns the equipment. The prepaid lease is an agreement between you and Participate Energy for the duration of the lease term or until you choose to own the system. Participate Energy is who you’ll contact directly for service on the system while they own it.
Payment Structure
One payment, up front. No monthly lease payments
Rate Over Time
Fixed. No annual escalator, EVER
Your home's title
No lien placed on your property
What are you leasing?
You lease your roof, Participate Energy owns the equipment
Ownership
Option to own your system presented at year 6 and annually after that
Selling your home
Reassigns to the new owner with a simple transfer document
Interested in learning more?
Who We Are
A&R Solar has 19 years in the business here in the Pacific Northwest! We are not some pop-up leasing company.
A&R Solar has been designing and installing solar and battery systems across Washington and Oregon since 2007, bringing utility‑grade quality to homes throughout the Northwest. As an employee‑owned Certified B Corporation, our team is personally invested in doing right by you for the life of your system, not just the sale.
Proven Northwest Expertise
With more than 5,000 projects completed, our licensed, NABCEP‑certified team understands the unique climate, incentives, and grid requirements in Washington and Oregon.
Care at Every Scale
We bring the same engineering rigor and attention to detail to your home that we apply to landmark commercial and public‑sector installations.
Pressure‑Free Guidance
From your first quote to final inspection, we provide clear options, honest expectations, and no high‑pressure sales tactics—just straightforward answers and support.
What’s the difference between a lease and a prepaid lease?
If "solar lease" already means something specific to you, here's what's actually different about doing this in Washington. In parts of the Sun Belt, third-party solar leasing grew fast — high electric rates and near-constant sun made a lease payment an easy sell against an expensive utility bill. That's also where most of the industry's worst habits took hold: rate escalators, aggressive door-to-door sales, and liens that complicated selling a home.
Washington's electric rates never made that math work the same way, so third-party leasing never really took hold here at scale — this isn't a local reputation A&R is trying to talk you out of. But if you've watched a parent or a friend deal with a leasing company down south, it's fair to want to know exactly how this is built differently.
One payment, up front — not a recurring lease payment that can climb every year.
No lien on your title, and no rate escalator written into the agreement.
A defined path to ownership after year six, in writing, not a vague promise.
A&R designs and installs your system — a local, employee-owned company that’s been here since 2007.
Celebrated by Customers
Our reputation comes from the homeowners and businesses we serve—and the peers who recognize our leadership in renewable energy across Washington and Oregon.
- Joseph G.
- Jeff O.
- Cindy R.
For Transplants & Family Elsewhere
What’s the difference between a lease and a prepaid lease?
If “solar lease” already means something specific to you, here’s what’s actually different about doing this in Washington.
In parts of the Sun Belt, third-party solar leasing grew fast — high electric rates and near-constant sun made a lease payment an easy sell against an expensive utility bill. That’s also where most of the industry’s worst habits took hold: rate escalators, aggressive door-to-door sales, and liens that complicated selling a home.
Washington’s electric rates never made that math work the same way, so third-party leasing never really took hold here at scale — this isn’t a local reputation A&R is trying to talk you out of. But if you’ve watched a parent or a friend deal with a leasing company down south, it’s fair to want to know exactly how this is built differently:
Clear Payment Structure
One payment, up front — not a recurring lease payment that can climb every year.
Peace of Mind
No lien on your title, and no rate escalator written into the agreement.
No Guesswork
A defined path to ownership after year six, in writing, not a vague promise.
Quality Craftsmanship
A&R designs and installs your system — a local, employee-owned company that's been here since 2007. Participate, an independent financing company, holds the lease and is your contact for service during that term; A&R isn't the counterparty on that agreement.
Get started
Talk to us about your leasing options.