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Solar Eco-Housing for Low-Income Seniors in Berkeley
By: John Reed - Monday, November 26, 2007
Source: Elevator PR
Housing in the Bay Area is expensive and scarce. Nobody knows that better than mature adults living on very tight fixed incomes. A prominent new building on University Avenue in Berkeley offering scarce, affordable housing for Bay Area low income seniors will be opening shortly.
Created by the non-profit affordable housing developer Satellite Housing, the 80 apartments in the 4-story building will provide affordable housing for Bay Area seniors so they can age in place with dignity and rent stability – and predictable energy costs.
Begun in October of 2005, leasing is underway for the $23 million building as it nears completion, with apartment dwellers scheduled to move in shortly. Along with a contribution of $1.9 million from the City of Berkeley, funding for the building included low-income tax credits used to generate funds from private investors.
Most of the units are 575 square feet, 1 bedroom apartments, with four, 750 square feet 2 bedroom apartments and 3 studios. The ground floor of the building includes offices for Satellite Housing and the Salvation Army; the Salvation Army originally owned the land.
The solar system is a series of 459 Mitsubishi 170 watt modules wired to a SatCON 75 kW inverter, making the system 78.030 kW peak or 66.848 AC watts output. The system cost $573,173 to build and is getting an SGIP rebate of $187,174. The system will generate approximately 102,474 kwh per year, saving up to $16,000 the first year.
Satellite Housing has built and managed 19 other affordable housing developments throughout the Bay Area over the past 40 years – this is their largest solar housing for low-income seniors.
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