This 12 months, Habitat for Humanity chapters all through Wisconsin partnered with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) for the Develop Photo voltaic for Humanity initiative, created to deliver photo voltaic to households that may considerably profit from decreased utility payments. This system, coordinated by the MREA, implements inexpensive renewable vitality on properties constructed by Habitat for Humanity inside the final 12 months. Thirty-five of the forty-nine Wisconsin Habitat for Humanity properties receiving photo voltaic are within the metropolis of Milwaukee, spanning the Harambee and Midtown neighborhoods.
“By lowering vitality prices, this undertaking will deliver long-term financial savings for these households, whereas rising the worth of their properties,” Chris Garrison, building director of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, explains that the group works to assist households obtain monetary stability via inexpensive homeownership.
Focus on Energy funds the photo voltaic portion of those properties. For greater than 20 years, Give attention to Vitality and Wisconsin’s electrical and pure gasoline utilities have partnered to assist residential and enterprise clients throughout the state make cost-effective vitality effectivity and renewable vitality upgrades.
“Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to serving to Wisconsinites stay in snug and inexpensive properties,” says Scott Bloedorn, Give attention to Vitality’s program supervisor. “Constructing energy-efficient properties is probably the most cost-effective strategy to management vitality payments. By including photo voltaic, Habitat for Humanity helps scale back vitality prices even additional.”
Since 2011, Give attention to Vitality has delivered greater than $1 billion price of financial advantages to Wisconsin. For each $1 spent, Give attention to Vitality returns greater than $4 to Wisconsin’s financial system via vitality financial savings, jobs and environmental impacts.
Photo voltaic installations started in November and will likely be accomplished early subsequent 12 months. The undertaking was awarded to Arch Photo voltaic, an area Wisconsin photo voltaic firm, via a aggressive bid course of.
“For Arch, these installations are thrilling as a result of they convey the monetary and environmental worth of solar energy to communities who haven’t had a lot, if any, entry to solar energy up to now,” states Dexter Peirce, an vitality marketing consultant at Arch Photo voltaic. “The electrical energy from photo voltaic panels offers monetary stability by each avoiding rising utility prices and considerably lowering vitality payments, all by powering their house with a clear, sustainable vitality supply.”
The Develop Photo voltaic for Humanity program is obtainable on behalf of the next Habitat for Humanity associates: Chippewa Valley, Door County, Fox Cities, Lakeside, Dane County, Kenosha, Washington and Dodge Counties, Wisconsin River, Milwaukee, and St. Croix Valley. When all of the Develop Photo voltaic for Humanity photo voltaic initiatives are completed, roughly 414 kW of photo voltaic will likely be put in.
