Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced its $1 million commitment to support the installation of rooftop solar on nearly 100 homes with 17 different Habitat for Humanity local affiliates throughout Northern and Central California. From the Mendocino Coast to Merced, PG&E’s Solar Habitat Program, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, is making affordable housing and solar energy a reality for deserving families, particularly in neighborhoods that have been historically underserved and overlooked.
“PG&E is incredibly proud of the role we’ve played in helping grow solar, particularly through our partnership with Habitat for Humanity,” said PG&E Corporation Senior Vice President, External Affairs and Public Policy, Helen Burt. “We have more rooftop solar in our service area than any other utility in the nation, and we continue to grow by connecting a new solar customer every seven minutes. This commitment to clean energy and affordability is at the heart of our partnership with Habitat for Humanity.”
For 11 years, PG&E’s Solar Habitat Program has provided more than $10.6 million to help respond to the housing needs of families in Northern and Central California. As the exclusive solar partner of Habitat for Humanity in Northern and Central California, PG&E’s Solar Habitat Program has funded the installation of solar on more than 700 new-construction Habitat for Humanity homes throughout the utility’s service area.
“Thanks to our partnership with PG&E and the Solar Habitat Program, Habitat homeowners spend less on electricity and that helps us keep the overall cost of homeownership low. This is a critical piece of the overall affordability of Habitat homes,” said Kris Leja, Interim CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, a nonprofit affordable-housing developer whose innovative model offers homeownership opportunities to Bay Area residents.
The PG&E Solar Habitat Program lowers the electricity bill of an average household by $500 per year. Each solar panel generates nearly 300kWh of clean, renewable energy from sunlight per month, avoiding the release of more than 132,000 pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over the 30-year life of the system. In total, Habitat families will save $10.5 million in energy costs through this partnership. In addition to funding the Solar Habitat Program, PG&E employees have provided more than 12,000 volunteer hours with Habitat for Humanity through the years.
The PG&E Solar Habitat Program, part of the PG&E Better Together Giving Program, reflects the company’s commitment to building a better California. With a focus on education, economic vitality, the environment and emergency preparedness, we are committed to putting our resources where our values are. Working closely with local community organizations through program development, charitable contributions and hands-on volunteerism, we’re helping to create a strong, resilient and sustainable California.