Rays of Hope in Austin, Texas is a group that combines a push for affordable housing with one for renewable clean energy. Their site explains: “We work with other notable local organizations to provide and install solar photovoltaic systems on houses being built or retrofitted for low- to moderate-income homeowners”. These project houses provide a setting for installation workshops, where the new homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, and anyone else curious can learn about renewable energy and how to install photovoltaic systems. The money raised from the workshops pays for the systems, making the net cost of initial installation zero for the new homeowners.
Rising oil prices — and consequently, rising utility bills and numbers of families below the poverty level — are a major impetus for Rays of Hope. Nowadays, more people live on a small budget, where energy bills and other utilities compete directly with other human needs. Their promotional flyer quotes some shocking statistics: out of the 4.9 million low-income households assisted by the National Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in 2005, 24% went without food for at least one day in the previous five years due to the high energy bills. 25% could not make their rent or mortgage payment, and a whopping 57% of non-elderly owners went without medical or dental care.
There’s no reason more houses shouldn’t be more energy independent. Texas provides property tax exemptions for many sustainable energy installations, though there is no program to fund projects like these on an individual basis, so the cost of installation is quite high and will only be paid off if the house is lived in for many years afterward, sometimes up to a quarter century. (More information on Rays of Hope resources page.) Rays of Hope effectively makes the cost of installation for low-income homeowners zero, while educating the homeowners and community about the benefits of solar energy, and providing hands-on workshops. The photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity, significantly reducing utility bills. They don’t store the energy, nor do they provide energy at night, so they aren’t meant to replace local grid-energy, but to reduce it. In sunny Texas, it can be a worthwhile addition: Rays of Hope estimates that on average in Austin, a 3kW cell can reduce a household’s grid dependency by more than 42%. To push sustainable building methods, they only install on newly-built or retro-fitted homes that meet the Austin Housing Finance Corporation’s requirements for S.M.A.R.T housing, which will be sold to lower-income families. They also work with already-existing local organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, which builds quality housing for low-income families, in order to augment the effect they already have on the community. Added bonus: they’re a women-led initiative.
Sounds like a pretty useful solution to help the fight for solar energy, sustainable housing, and affordable housing all together. Now why haven’t I heard of something like this in other parts of Texas?
I’ve put a bit about them up on the new page, Sustainability Policies and Resources in Texas, which is a complete mess (and empty) right now, but is serving as a place to throw links I come across explaining the policies and guidelines for sustainable building in Texas. More to come. (School break = time for posts).
Posted by grassideas 
