SACRAMENTO, CA - The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has installed the first solar-power system on an affordable housing complex in Sacramento. The solar panels on top of the community center at Colonia San Martin, the newest project of the housing nonprofit Mercy Housing California, will produce six times more power than the average residential solar electric system.
The housing complex, on Florin Mall Drive, was built in a partnership with the AIDS Housing Alliance. It has 60 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Forty units are reserved for individuals or families with at least one member who are HIV-positive or have AIDS.
Each unit has high-efficiency water heaters and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. They also have windows, insulation and radiant heat barriers designed to reduce energy use. The measures exceed the state's Title 24 building codes for energy efficiency by at least 25 percent.
The 12-kilowatt solar system will produce an estimated 18,700 kilowatt-hours per year, cutting electric bills at the complex by a total of $2,000 per year.
The solar system qualified for state rebates, and SMUD negotiated a rebate package that helped the developer install the energy-efficient equipment.
Source: Sacramento Business Journal