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<br />33. What percent of project
<br />materials will be purchased
<br />from sources within Orange
<br />County or North Carolina?
<br />
<br />34. Please describe any other
<br />aspect of your project that is
<br />relevant to local economic
<br />development.
<br />
<br />
<br />Criterion 6 - Amount and Duration of Engagement
<br />
<br />35. Please describe how you will
<br />engage with and/or educate
<br />project participants.
<br />
<br />36. How will you measure the
<br />success of that engagement or
<br />educational effort?
<br />
<br />37. Please describe any other
<br />aspect of your project that is
<br />relevant to the amount, or
<br />quality, or length of
<br />engagement and/or education
<br />that your project will produce.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Criterion 7 - Time to Complete
<br />
<br />38. How much time will your
<br />project require to demonstrate
<br />the positive impacts you
<br />describe?
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Submission Guidance
<br />
<br />Applications are to be submitted as email attachments to Orange County Sustainability Programs
<br />Manager, Amy Eckberg at aeckberg@orangecountync.gov. Please also CC the lead staff member
<br />supporting the Commission of the Environment, Wesley Poole at wpoole@orangecountync.gov.
<br />
<br />The Application Submittal Deadline for the Fiscal Year 23-24 round of the Community Climate Action
<br />Grant is Friday, August 18, 2023 at 5pm.
<br />
<br />Please note that late, handwritten, or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
<br />
<br />Submit all documents including attachments in PDF format. This will ensure the original content and
<br />formatting is preserved. Digital signatures on applications are accepted.
<br />
<br />NC Solar Now does not purchase any of their materials
<br />from sources within Orange County. The only component
<br />of the project that is purchased from within the county is
<br />the permit. Nonetheless, the labor and installation costs
<br />paid by EmPOWERment and SolarEquity will be injected
<br />directly into the local economy.
<br />The solarization of EI’s PEACH Apartments will
<br />decrease the average energy bills of tenants by $46 per
<br />month. It is recommended that 50% of income go
<br />towards necessities, 30% go to discretionary items, and
<br />20% go to savings. Abiding by the 50-30-20 rule, we can
<br /> assume that 80% of the energy savings will go towards
<br />necessities and discretionary funding. Operating under
<br />those assumptions, we can deduce that the local
<br />economic multiplier is 5. (multiplier = 1 / [1-0.8]) Each
<br />tenant will invest an additional $441 annually in the local
<br />economy. Multiplied by 5, each tenant will be stimulating
<br /> an additional $2,208 of economic activity in the
<br />community per year. Across each tenant, we can predict
<br /> that increased energy savings from the solarization of
<br />the Peach Apartments will generate $22,080 of
<br />economic activity per year. Moreover, EMPOWERment
<br />also launched an economic development arm called the
<br />Midway Business Center in Midway, a historically Black
<br />business district connecting Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
<br />The project offers over $6,000 square feet of affordable
<br />office and retail space, access to shared business
<br />equipment, and strong support to build locally owned
<br />businesses. The proximity of the office space to the
<br />Peach Apartments, paired with energy savings from the
<br />PEACH Apartments’ solar array, will motivate tenants to
<br />launch their business ventures and increase
<br />employment opportunities in the community.
<br />To generate buy-in and educate the tenants on the solar
<br /> project, EmPOWERment will acquire literature from NC
<br />Solar Now and hold a workshop between
<br />EmPOWERment, the Peach Apartment residents,
<br />SolarEquity, and NC Solar Now. This workshop will be
<br />held over Zoom and will focus on the benefits of rooftop
<br />solar and ways to reduce energy demand.
<br />
<br />Before SolarEquity approached EmPOWERment about
<br />adding solar to PEACH Apartments for the benefit of our
<br /> clients, adding solar to this building was off our radar.
<br />Indeed we knew very little about the benefits of
<br />renewable energy or the disproportional benefits our
<br />clients would realize as a result of the addition of solar.
<br />Now, through this educational and successful
<br />partnership, EmPOWERment has become an advocate
<br />for deployment of solar and indeed plans to retrofit our
<br />existing homes to include solar over time. We look
<br />forward to educating other builders and providers of very
<br /> low income housing in Orange co about the benefits of
<br />renewable energy.
<br />
<br />EmPOWERment will also engage with participants on a
<br />daily basis through the rental portal and maintenance at
<br />the complex. Each portal will be equipped with a page
<br />that monitors monthly energy bills so that homeowners
<br />can see the complex’s past energy usage.
<br />To gauge tenants’ satisfaction with – and knowledge of –
<br />the solar array, EmPOWERment will send out a survey
<br />at their move-in date and 1 year after their move-in date.
<br />The survey can be found below. If the average score of
<br />answers improves by 10% or is above 8/10,
<br />EmPOWERment will consider the solar project a
<br />success. Each time a new renter moves into a unit,
<br />EmPOWERment will request that they fill out the solar
<br />survey.
<br />
<br />Survey Questions:
<br />
<br />Please rank all answers on a scale of 1-10. 1= Not at all,
<br />10 = Yes, absolutely
<br />
<br />Q1: Have you noticed a reduction in your monthly energy
<br />bills?
<br />
<br />Q2: Would you recommend rooftop solar to a friend?
<br />
<br />Q3: Do you feel that you understand the benefits of
<br />rooftop solar?
<br />
<br />Q4: Has EmPOWERment done an adequate job
<br />answering questions regarding the solar array?
<br />
<br />Q5: Has the reduction of your energy bills made a
<br />noticeable difference in your life?
<br />Installing rooftop solar on the PEACH Apartments will
<br />require little engagement from tenants as it will
<br />significantly decrease energy bills without any input from
<br /> renters. Nonetheless, the intended impact of this project
<br /> transcends Peach Apartments by itself.
<br />EmPOWERment will only consider this project a
<br />resounding success if it helps set off a chain of events
<br />that results in widespread solar adoption of affordable
<br />housing across the County. Habitat for Humanity was
<br />the first movers in this space, and EmPOWERment
<br />intends to continue the positive momentum. With the
<br />successful rooftop solar installation on PEACH
<br />Apartments, EmPOWERment hopes to create a faction
<br />of solar advocates that helps drive solar adoption across
<br /> the community. EmPOWERment will motivate the
<br />tenants of the PEACH Apartments to speak out and join
<br />the solar advocacy team that currently consists of
<br />EmPOWERment employees, SolarEquity, NC Solar
<br />Now, and East Chapel Hill Rotary members. These
<br />actions by tenants will demonstrate a genuine
<br />engagement with the solar industry and the recognition
<br />of the benefits of rooftop solar on affordable housing.
<br />
<br />The solarization of the PEACH Apartments will have
<br />positive impacts in both the short and long term. Once
<br />installed, the system will provide around 55,000 kWh of
<br />energy every year, saving $5,534 worth of energy costs.
<br />Consequently, the average tenant will see their energy
<br />bills reduced by approximately $46. These savings will
<br />continue to accrue over the 30-year lifetime of the
<br />panels and will be re-injected into the local economy,
<br />stimulating more economic activity and helping local
<br />low-income people escape the cycle of poverty.
<br />Moreover, the system will prevent around 2,150,000
<br />pounds of carbon from entering the atmosphere over 30
<br />years. Although the effects of mitigated carbon
<br />emissions are less concrete, they will reduce air
<br />pollution in the area and improve the health of those that
<br /> live in areas surrounding local power plants.
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