Low-income homes targeted for more solar power installations

LINDSAY
May 7, 2012 8:29am

If anyone needs to cut their PG&E bills, it’s low-income families in the Central Valley where the summer heat means air conditioning with its hefty electric bills.

Now privately held Verengo Solar of Torrance, one of California’s largest installers of solar power panels, has teamed with GRID Alternatives, a non-profit organization, to install solar panels for qualifying homes.

The partnership says it has just completed its first Central Valley installation at a home in Lindsay.

"Our first GRID Alternatives project was successfully installed and signed off on by the city inspector in the same day," says Tom Sweeney, Verengo's Northern California general manager.

As a sub-contracting partner, Verengo will provide GRID Alternatives with complete residential solar systems including installation and permitting at below cost value. Each GRID sub-contracted project also requires Verengo to hire an eligible job trainee who will gain valuable hand-on experience and a paid job while working alongside Verengo's installation team.

"Partnering with GRID Alternatives dovetails perfectly with Verengo's corporate commitment to do good and to do well," says President and Verengo Co-Founder Ken Button.