May 31, 2022
Six weeks after the ribbon cutting ceremony at newly renovated Cedar Street Apartments (“Cedar”), the project partners, Joseph Development Inc. (JDI) and Wesley Housing, have another reason to celebrate—solar arrays were successfully installed on the rooftop of the property. Located in the Takoma neighborhood of Ward 4, the installation, developed and funded by JDI with financial assistance from LISC, will provide 38.9 kilowatts of solar capacity on the community’s rooftops at no cost to the property. This will supply the building’s common area electricity usage, reduce overall operating costs, as well as save each of the building’s low-income residents nearly $200 per year on their electricity bills.
JDI and Wesley Housing have established the solar energy system as a Community Renewable Energy Facility (CREF) and will donate 100% of the electricity to Wesley’s affiliate, Wesley Property Management, to distribute to households in the building. The system will produce approximately 44,700 kilowatt hours per year—a value of approximately $5,350/year at residential power rates. The current expectation is that 30 households will receive an approximate $15/month discount on their electricity bills, which equates to $178/year per household and over $107,000 over a 20-year term. This savings frees up resources for other basic necessities that low-income tenants often struggle to afford.
Cedar is the first property in Wesley Housing’s portfolio with solar energy features and establishes the community as a long-term sustainable, environmentally-friendly affordable housing resource for the District.