Category: Sustainable Housing

Starting in 2019 and 2020, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) will move its residential customers to default Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rates. With TOU rates, electricity prices vary throughout the day and are most expensive during the early evening. These prices impact operating budgets, household bills and cost-savings for energy improvements Read More

Investing in solar energy systems for affordable housing properties continues to be a critical opportunity and issue for nonprofit housing owners and public housing authorities throughout California. The California Housing Partnership hosted a GREEN Talk on May 30, 2018 with discussion focused on solar operations and maintenance. Our three esteemed presenters touched on issues of performance monitoring, financing models, buy-back Read More

Originally published in the California Adaptation Forum, April 19, 2018 Californians have suffered a devastating year of climate change impacts, ranging from wildfires to deadly heat waves.  In communities where extreme heat is becoming the norm, rising energy costs threaten the health of children and seniors as families struggle to pay their utility bills.  Low-income Californians pay the highest percentage Read More

Low-income renters will get a break in their electricity bills—and a foot in the door to California’s clean energy economy—thanks to the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program. Under a proposal recently approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the program will create incentives for rooftop solar installations that benefit tenants at multifamily affordable rental housing properties.  It will Read More

Last month, 20 nonprofit developers joined a California Housing Partnership Corporation (CHPC) Green Rental Home Energy Efficiency Network (GREEN) “Talk” to learn the basics of solar financing, and hear from other developers who are actually using these financing tools.  Panelists for the talk included solar experts from GRID Alternatives, and three developers—Mercy Housing, Eden Housing, and National Housing Trust—who provided Read More

CHPC’s water affordability initiative works to increase access to water conservation resources for the nonprofit multifamily affordable rental housing owners and the lower-income tenants they serve in California. Below is the fifth in a series of reports on leaders, best practices, and emerging trends in water conservation for affordable housing.   Finding ways to pay for energy efficiency and water Read More