SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today 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. 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,” said PG&E Corporation Senior Vice President, External Affairs and Public Policy, Helen Burt.
Today, PG&E and Habitat Greater San Francisco host the 2nd annual Brown Bag Build from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Courthouse Square in Redwood City. Community members are invited to volunteer a total of 100 hours to construct 40 shoe benches in 30-minute shifts during their lunch breaks. The shoe benches, which will be placed in the front entrances of Habitat homes in Novato’s Mt. Burdell Place and San Francisco’s Ocean View neighborhood, will raise each home’s Green Point rating by preventing the introduction of toxins into the home.
“Today’s Brown Bag Build is a great way to get the community involved in the important work that Habitat for Humanity is doing for deserving families. From our service here today to our support for Solar Habitat, PG&E is proud of the role we play—from doorstep to rooftop—in building homes with Habitat families,” said Jason Wells, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, PG&E Corporation, and a member of the board of directors for Habitat Greater San Francisco.
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 300 kilowatt-hours 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.
About Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco builds homes and community in partnership with thousands of annual volunteers, hard-working families, donors, civic leaders and other engaged community members in Marin, San Francisco and on the Peninsula. The work supporters help us do provides a critical path to financial security for families who live and work here and strengthens neighborhoods across the Bay Area. Learn more at www.habitatgsf.org
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), and the PG&E Corporation Foundation strive to power strong communities throughout Northern and Central California. In 2015, PG&E contributed more than $25 million to nearly 1,800 charitable organizations, including matching the generosity of employees who donated more than $7.5 million and volunteered more than 87,000 hours to company-supported events. Community investments are funded entirely by the company’s shareholders. For more information, visit www.pge.com/community.
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