Many people imagine residential solar energy systems as something primarily available to affluent or middle-class homeowners who want to take their utility bills into their own hands and start generating a portion of their own power. However, solar power is  something with the potential to benefit Americans at all levels of income.

Solar applications in low income communities can make a major impact in the lives of many Americans and help us to become more sustainable as a society overall. New federal and state government programs are helping to lower barriers to entry, making solar power more affordable in low income communities; strengthening our relationship with renewable energy sources and helping to make our communities more energy independent.

Low-income households may spend up to 15-20 percent of their income on energy to heat and cool their homes, keep the lights on, and put hot food on the table. This is a substantial amount of a family’s monthly income, so the advantages of reducing these bills through alternative energy solutions like solar power are easy to see.

Many low income communities are largely composed of renters, or those living in multi-family units. In such cases, installing residential solar panels can be challenging or impossible without the support of others. For many of these families, making the choice to go solar may seem out of reach.

However, there are many programs now available to help extend solar’s reach into these types of communities and expand the benefits of renewable energy to Americans of all income levels.

Many Programs Support Solar Development in Low Income Communities

The Federal Government’s new Clean Energy Plan has designated millions of dollars to help make America more sustainable and energy independent across the board, including in low income communities. The administration has been adamant that getting renewable energy systems to low income housing, and the independence and savings they represent, is crucially important to America’s overall energy plan.

In fact, one of the plan’s major goals is to triple the amount of solar panels installed in low income communities and to provide “technical assistance to make it easier to install solar, including clarifying how to use Federal funding.” This major increase would bring the amount of solar capacity in low income communities to 300,000 megawatts — enough energy to power about 50,000 homes.

There are already programs in place in states like California to help get solar power into low income communities as soon as possible. A great example is the MASH program, which stands for Multi-Family Affordable Solar Housing and helps to make solar affordable for low income housing developers and building owners in California.

Solar power systems in multi-family housing can reduce energy costs for a substantially higher number of people than it can on single-family homes, bringing savings to many families. By incentivizing solar investments for developers through programs like MASH, we can make sure that the next generation of low income housing communities built in the U.S. are powered by clean, renewable energy like solar.

If you’d like to find out how installing solar panels on your roof can help you drive your electric bill down to zero, contact us today for a free quote.