Solar Thermal Energy and Solar Hot Water Technologies – Not Just for the Rich

WESTMINSTER — Southeastern Vermont Community Action received $900,000 to provide solar thermal and solar hot water technologies for low-income Vermont families. And the state as a whole will receive another $700,000 after being recognized for achieving weatherization benchmarks from the U.S. Department of Energy. SEVCA was one of five agencies in Vermont that shared almost $5 million in Federal money to increase the number of solar installations across the state. Development Director Lisa Jane Clarke stated in a press release announcing the receipt of the funds that people should not have to be well-off to be able to live a simple, sustainable life in their own home.

“This will have a huge impact upon our organization and the lives of the individuals and families that we serve,” she stated. “Not only will this offer opportunities for job creation and training in an emerging green technology, but also options to reduce our clients’ dependency on oil and utility costs overall.

Now the people who need the savings the most will have access to this technology.”

By making low-income homes more energy efficient, families save an average of $437 on their energy bills, according the U.S. Department of Energy.

The agency’s Weatherization Department provides no-cost weatherization and energy conservation improvements to eligible households.

“When we first got the call, I thought that the figure was for the whole state,” stated SEVCA Weatherization Director Harald Schmidtke. “Imagine my shock when I found out that the $900,000 was allocated for our program alone.”

Across Vermont, the funds may also be used to promote bulk buying strategies and cooperative partnerships in buying solar technologies in order to lower the costs of materials and to fund marketing approaches to help families save energy and money.

Southwestern Community Services in Keene, N.H., will receive $500,000 for solar photovoltaics, high performance hot water systems, Energy Star qualified clothes washers and qualified insulation upgrades. The grant to Southwestern Community Services was part of about $2.5 million that was awarded to five organizations in New Hampshire.

Across the country the Department of Energy awarded $90 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support the use of a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

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Posted by Tracey A. Smith on Aug 23 2010. Filed under Projects and Installations, Residential Solar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry