Habitat for Humanity & GiveSolar reach 100 solar homes across Virginia, 20 in the Valley

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — A partnership between Habitat for Humanity Virginia and GiveSolar has reached 100 solar-powered homes across the commonwealth, coinciding with Central Valley Habitat for Humanity’s milestone of 20 solar-powered homes in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.

The collaboration traces back to 2018, when Jeff Heie founded GiveSolar to help nonprofits access solar energy and lower their overhead costs. In 2020, a friend serving on the board of Central Valley Habitat asked Heie to help bring solar to Habitat families in the area.

“We started raising money back in 2020, and we did our first pilot project in Broadway. We installed solar onto Habitat houses, and that was our pilot project and proof of concept,” said Heie, who also serves as director of the Habitat for Humanity Solar Collaborative.

After the pilot project, Heie approached Central Valley Habitat’s board about expanding the effort. The organizations set a fundraising goal of $100,000 in February 2021.

“By September of that year, we had raised — we overshot our goal — raised $127,000,” Heie said. “The purpose of that fundraising effort was to have what we call the solar seed fund that would pay for the solar systems that we install on Habitat homes.”

The fund was designed to cover 20 solar installations. Heie said the 20th install using the seed fund was recently completed.

The 100th statewide solar install was celebrated in Ashland, Virginia, with First Gentleman Adam Spanberger in attendance.

“He came early and stayed late. He was up on the scaffolding. Professional solar installers were up on the roof, but he stuck with it and lifted all 12 panels from the ground up to the roof,” Heie said. “We hope to do this again, get public officials involved in these solar installs, because we think it’s important for those people to show their support of lowering energy bills for low-income households.”

Each Habitat home is equipped with a 12-panel solar system producing approximately 5 kilowatts of energy. Homeowners save about $72 per month on their electric bill. Over the system’s 25-year lifespan, families are expected to save between $25,000 and $40,000.

“We’re basically locking in an electricity rate that’s very low because of the solar panels, and these homeowners are protected from rising electricity prices,” Heie said.

He added that all 11 Habitat units in one Harrisonburg cul-de-sac have solar systems installed.

“Every single family is saving at least $70 a month, if not more. We know that that’s going to have knock-on impacts throughout the next 25 years. They’ll have more money for basic essentials like food and clothing and medical care and things like that,” Heie said.

Shannon Porter, executive director of Central Valley Habitat for Humanity, said the project comes as housing and utility costs continue to rise.

“In the last five years, the cost of electricity has gone up 30%. And when you’re trying to make your life work, the cost of housing isn’t just the cost of rent or mortgage, it’s also your utilities,” Porter said. “When you can reduce that, but also do something good environmentally, it’s fantastic.”

Porter said solar is now a standard part of Central Valley Habitat’s building plans. He said the solar program is part of a broader effort to address housing affordability.

“All of our homes, every design that we do moving forward, has a solar component to it. We’re already pre-wiring the homes so we can work with solar,” Porter said. “We’ve got a housing crisis in Harrisonburg. We’ve got a housing crisis in the commonwealth. We’ve got a housing crisis across our nation. And the only way we’re going to be able to really address that is be able to build more units, but also build them for people who wouldn’t normally be able to access them.”

Porter said the impact of stable housing extends beyond finances.

“There’s kids that are in these homes right now that the entire trajectory of their life is going to be different because we built these homes,” Porter said. “It provides some stability. It provides them a chance to be able to have a place to call home.”

Habitat for Humanity and GiveSolar plan to install 625 solar systems across Virginia over the next five years and are working with Virginia Energy and the governor’s office to support that goal. The organizations are also expanding the model into 10 other states, with a long-term goal of reaching 10,000 Habitat homes with solar nationwide.