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<br />Page 16 of 22 <br /> <br /> <br />For the proposed fourteen solar installations over the next two years, <br />we anticipate that Southern Energy Management will again offer a <br />discounted labor cost of $10,000 per install. Habitat plans to apply <br />Duke Energy rebates to support the cost of the project. We hope to <br />also take advantage of the new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Direct Pay <br />option, which for the first time will provide a rebate equivalent to a tax <br />credit for tax-exempt organizations. We are working with Habitat for <br />Humanity International to better understand the regulations and <br />identify models to apply this program for residential solar on low- <br />income Habitat homes. Remaining costs for the solar initiative will be <br />covered by Habitat, who relies on annual public and private funding to <br />cover the costs of vertical construction. Habitat and other developers <br />continue to face significant inflationary price hikes that require <br />increased subsidy and community funding for us to continue building <br />affordable, green-certified homes in Orange County. <br />19. Would your proposed project <br />help you to take advantage of <br />funding from other sources <br />besides this grant in the <br />future? <br />Housing affordability and climate change are two of the most <br />significant challenges facing our community and nation. Installing solar <br />on new affordable housing addresses both issues simultaneously, <br />making the project attractive to a diverse coalition of supporters. As <br />Habitat supporters and community members learn about the benefits <br />of this unique collaboration, we hope it may spur more donations from <br />those who are passionate about the intersection of climate justice and <br />economic justice. We think this will be especially relevant in Weavers <br />Grove, a high visibility project that has received national attention. <br /> <br />Climate Action Grant funds have played a pivotal role in launching <br />Habitat’s renewable energy initiative. An additional investment of <br />$100,000 from the Climate Action Fund would signal to the community <br />Orange County’s strong dedication to the goals of this project, while <br />raising visibility and attracting additional public and private support. <br />Habitat has a strong record of leveraging dollars invested by the County <br />to raise additional funds. <br /> <br />Orange Habitat is engaged in exciting preliminary conversations about <br />Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) resources for green building which are <br />coming down the pipeline. We believe that there will be an opportunity <br />to apply for IRA Solar for All funding through Habitat for Humanity <br />International and/or the statewide EnergizeNC coalition, both of whom <br />were national Solar For All recipients. FY25 Climate Action Funds will be <br />critical for Habitat to continue to build momentum in our solar <br />program, positioning us to leverage local support to secure these <br />federal funds as they become available over the next couple years. <br />Without funding from the County, there is danger our solar program <br />will lag, which may make us less competitive for these new funding <br />opportunities. By awarding Climate Action Funds, Orange County can <br />help to ensure the sustainability of Habitat’s operations for years to <br />come by helping us build on a strong program foundation to unlock <br />Docusign Envelope ID: AA482F5E-25D4-439A-862A-65CC63DF3A74