Well aware that preaching only does so much good, a website has decide to up the ante in its offerings for those who use means such as solar panels to reduce their carbon emissions: Cash.

Such is what happened to the Wilson family from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to USA Today, after installing $58,000 in solar panels to decrease their carbon footprint, the family input their utility information into the website of My Emissions Exchange (MyEex.com) and eventually received a check in the mail for $17.20.

According to its website, My Emissions Exchange is "a personal carbon exchange that lets you earn money for reducing your carbon footprint."

After consumers decide they want to reduce their energy use, the website asks them to measure their home’s energy usage for each month over the last year by entering their heat and electric usage.

When the necessary changes to their energy usage are made, and while continually entering the utility information into the website, MyEex certifies the reductions and awards carbon credits before returning the earnings to the consumer.

In the case of the Wilsons, MyEex was able to sell what it touted as its first-ever personal carbon credit to Molten Equipment Innovations for $21.50. After taking a 20 percent cut, the rest of the funding went back to the family, USA Today reported.

While hardly a profit given the price of the solar panels, monetary rewards for converting to solar energy may be a viable means to increase their usage while decreasing emissions across the country.