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GreenPoint Rated Award | |
Habitat East Bay received a GreenPoint Rated award at a special celebration on December 8th at the Freeda Court development in Livermore. The 22-home Livermore development scored a 95 (only 50 points are needed to qualify as a green builder). | |
Solar Program
Thanks to the generosity of our Solar Habitat Sponsor, PG&E, Habitat East Bay can equip all of our homes with energy saving photovoltaic cells (PV). Solar is one of the most recognizable elements to our green building program, however, it is just one of the many elements working in concert to help save our partner families money, help make their homes more healthy, and help them live a more evironmentally sustainable lifestyle.
Alameda Solarthon with GRID AlternativesGRID Alternatives held its third annual Solarthon event at Habitat for Humanity East Bay’s site in Alameda on Saturday, June 29, 2008. The event is designed to promote, educate and help install photovoltaic (solar) panels.
More than 125 volunteers gathered to install solar electric systems in eight homes at Habitat for Humanity East Bay’s Buena Vista Commons development. Some of the homeowners provided their own “sweat equity” by working alongside other Solarthon participants to install their own power. The systems installed will generate over $130,000 in clean, renewable power over their expected lifespan, while offsetting 400 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. These systems are reducing each family’s electric bills by approximately 75%, which will translate to a total of over $2.82 million in energy cost savings over the systems’ projected life spans. They will also prevent roughly 8,556 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years, the equivalent of planting 11,941 trees.
The event’s flagship sponsor is PG&E, whose Solar Habitat Initiative provides grants to help Habitat for Humanity affiliates in their service area go solar. Habitat East Bay is thankful for the support and partnership from organizations such as PG&E and GRID Alternatives.
