Gridbid.com is a new website launched as a pilot version in March, which is dedicated to providing a channel for the public to connect with local solar panel installers who are looking for rooftop space, reports Mother Nature Network.

Gridbid's format allows homeowners to provide all the important details about their roof to potential installers, including: the roof’s exact location and physical composition (direction and degree of incline), monthly electricity usage and the size of photovoltaic system desired. The property listing is then made live and competing solar installers are able to offer their bids in an online auction. It is then at the homeowner’s discretion to pick the winning offer and company, and the installation is done with the owner paying no up-front costs.

This new system allows homeowners to treat their roof space as real estate. While they do not get a monthly check for the energy being generated from the roof, the homeowners do receive considerable savings on monthly energy costs. Additionally, any extra energy that is generated by the solar panels is fed back into the grid system and utility companies then pay the installers for that energy.

The website auction system allows installers to save up to 80 percent on typical installation costs, leading Mother Nature Network to declare this a “win-win situation for both parties.” According to Green-buildings.com, Gridbid’s launch came at an ideal time as green energy explodes in the United States, particularly in the solar industry.