Seattle — On June 21st, Neighborhood House will launch its Solar Panel Challenge — a campaign to raise $100,000 to build a second array of solar panels atop the High Point Neighborhood Center. The campaign launch will coincide with the summer solstice on Sunday the 21st, the longest day of the year, and will end with the fall equinox on September 22, 2009.
A second array will allow all the rooftop panels to meet 100 percent of the High Point Neighborhood Center’s average energy demand, making the building completely self-sufficient, independent from Seattle City Light and one of the very few energy-neutral structures in the state.
Electrical bill estimates for a building of this size are in the thousands of dollars per month. A second array would therefore translate into savings of $20,000 – $30,000 per year, critical funds that, instead of going to bills, will go to services and programs, light up Head Start and ESL classrooms, heat a Family and Teen Center and fuel a community kitchen.
The center is scheduled to open in the fall in West Seattle’s High Point neighborhood, and plans are already in place for an initial array of 256 solar panels comprising 6,000 square feet. This array alone will be the largest atop a building in the entire state of Washington.
Neighborhood House recently completed a $13 million capital campaign to construct the center — a LEED Gold certified building that will be home to critical social services as well as state-of-the-art environmental education programs aimed at the High Point community.
The second array of solar panels can be sponsored for $1,000 per panel. Contributions can be made in monthly installments, in someone’s honor, or as some have done by teaming together as a group. The total project budget for the second array is $200,000. The City of Seattle Community Facilities Loan Program is providing $100,000 in funding.
To take a tour of the High Point Neighborhood Center, please contact Alex Wang, Development Associate, at (206) 461-8430 x257 or alexw@nhwa.org.
About Neighborhood House:
Founded in 1906, Neighborhood House is an independent nonprofit that has helped generations of families overcome economic challenges through a comprehensive web of services. Our mission is to help diverse communities of people with limited resources attain their goals for self-sufficiency, health, financial independence and community building. Learn more at http://www.nhwa.org/.
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Contact:
Ray Li
Director of Strategic Initiatives
(206) 461-8430 x260
rayl@nhwa.org
Find Neighborhood House online at www.nhwa.org