Solar Panels Installed on Two Habitat Homes

Twin Cities Rotary Eco Club is a group of Rotary Club members that focus on sustainable developments and projects in their community. They recently raised the funds to purchase solar panels for two homes being built by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in North Minneapolis. 

About Twin Cities Rotary Eco Club

 Although this was the first time that TCREC worked with Twin Cities Habitat, they have worked with other Habitat chapters in the past and with other housing projects in the Twin Cities. For example, they played a big part in the construction of a hydroponic farm in the North Market in North Minneapolis when they partnered with Pillsbury United Communities.

TCREC also received help from a broader group of Rotary Clubs, part of the fundraising included a grant which Twin Cities Rotary Eco Club received from a broader group of other Rotary Clubs. In addition to financing the solar panels, the Rotarians also solicited bids for the panels and tried to find the best deal for the homes. 

Why Solar Panels?

Solar Panels are not only advantageous for the environment, they also offer lower energy bills for our Habitat families, which is why we hope to build more homes with solar panels in the future. Habitat homes are already being constructed as Zero Energy Ready (ZER) homes, which is a certification given by the US Department of Energy which essentially recognizes the level of energy efficiency in homes. 

Homes with the ZER certification could potentially offset the annual energy costs of a home through the use of renewable energy, providing a crucial cost relief for our Habitat Homeowners in the future. 

Partnering with Twin Cities Habitat

Part of their contribution to the addition of the solar panels included a couple of build days onsite with a dedicated group of Rotarians. Steve Solbrack who is on the board of TCREC, who received wonderful feedback from the members that were able to participate. 

Steve himself spoke about how enjoyable it was to work with us, saying that:

“I really enjoyed my time working with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Working with the Project Managers was a delight. The way in which the organization engages with us was very nice.”

The members of TCREC clearly have an outstanding commitment to preserving the natural world and improving their community through advocacy and hard work. As a result of that hard work, we now have two homes with renewable energy that our Habitat families can appreciate.