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Shiny Happy People

Utility will pay for solar on Habitat for Humanity houses in California

Posted at 4:57 AM on 21 Sep 2007

Recognizing that solar electricity is a good investment in the long run but a bit spendy up front, utility Pacific Gas and Electric has agreed to pay for solar power on some 65 houses built by Habitat for Humanity in northern and central California next year. PG&E will donate about $1.2 million for panels and installation; low-income residents will see radically reduced electric bills. "For us it's not so much an environmental thing -- it's a cost issue," says Mark Crozet of Habitat. "It's a piece of their income that these families don't have to spend on electricity. It's a big increase in the quality of life." Environmental and low-cost can go hand in hand? Whoda thunk.

source:  San Francisco Chronicle

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Comments: (2 comments)

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water heaters

I'm wondering if these houses come with water heaters and if they are solar. It's a Lot more efficient to heat water with solar heat than produce electricity and then heat water with it.
It's about 10 times (conservatively) better from a cost/benefit perspective.


Greg...

Why don't you write to the people at Habitat for Humanity, and see if they know that?  If your screen name is actually indicative of your qualifications, you could probably give them all kinds of advice on how to go about it and how much benefit it will yield--and if it's not indicative, I bet you still know how to point them to someone who can.

There is contact info for all the Habitat offices in California here:
http://www.habitat.org/cd/local/affiliate.aspx?place=91
I'd send a mass e-mail to all of them, and just talk to whichever ones respond.

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