St. Johns Housing Partnership

INSTALLED | September 2023

Bring Solar to St Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP) in St. Johns County, St. Augustine, Florida.

SJHP is a committed organization that focuses on promoting affordable housing and fostering community development. Through their partnerships with the public and private sectors, SJHP undertakes projects that create low and moderate-income housing, revitalize neglected neighborhoods, and enhance economic and social development within disadvantaged areas. In addition to their construction services, SJHP also prioritizes energy and water conservation, as well as accessibility retrofits to improve the overall living conditions of homeowners in need. This project aims to install solar power systems at two locations: the SJHP main office and Patriot Place, a veterans apartment complex, to demonstrate the benefits of renewable energy in their community.

Project Overview:

SJHP is dedicated to rehabilitating and improving housing conditions for local homeowners, with an annual average of 100-150 homes being revitalized. Depending on available funding, these home rehabilitation projects can range from $2,500 to $45,000 per home. The organization focuses on addressing health and safety concerns, and once those are resolved, they shift their attention to energy and water conservation measures, as well as accessibility retrofits. By reducing maintenance costs and providing necessary repairs, SJHP enables homeowners to continue living independently for as long as possible.

To further their commitment to sustainability and cost reduction, Everybody Solar helped bring two solar power installations to SJHP. The first installation took place at the SJHP main office and involve a 12.8 kW solar array. This installation will save SJHP approximately $2,500 annually in utility costs. As electricity rates are projected to increase over the next 30 years, the annual savings are expected to grow to over $7,000, allowing SJHP to reinvest these funds in retrofitting homes within the community.

The second installation was implemented at Patriot Place, a 6-unit veterans apartment complex. This installation consists of a 9.72 kW solar system, providing solar power to three of the six individual Veterans Apartments. This setup will allow for a side-by-side comparison of the impact of solar energy on this low-income community. The complete system is projected to save approximately $1,926 per year, and as electricity rates continue to rise, this savings will increase to $5,600 annually.

Combined, the solar power systems installed at both locations will amount to 22.52 kW. By embracing renewable energy and harnessing the power of the sun, SJHP is not only taking steps towards a greener future but also achieving significant financial savings that can be reinvested into their mission of assisting and retrofitting homes in the community.

For more information about SJHP and their initiatives, please visit their website at sjhp.org. The website provides comprehensive details about their services, projects, and the impact they have on creating affordable housing and fostering community development.

“As a green builder partner with the Florida Green Building Coalition, we truly believe that solar is an important part of Florida's future, although it is a very difficult piece to fit into affordable housing budgets”, Bill Lazar, SJHP Executive Director. “We hope to showcase this solar system as a way to generate more interest and support for solar initiatives in our area”, he added.