A new partnership will allow low- and moderate-income New Yorkers — including residents of four South Bronx apartment buildings — to save up to 20% on their electricity bills by connecting to a nearby solar farm.
Residents at four section 8 apartment properties owned by Nuveen, one of the country’s largest owners of affordable housing, can now connect to a solar farm through Boston-based Perch Energy, which runs 150 solar farms across the country.
The four Bronx buildings are Southern Boulevard Apartments at 774 Fox St; Maria Lopez Plaza at 635 Morris Ave.; Longwood Residence Apartments at 940 Simpson St.; and Hunts Point Apartments at 860 Bryant Ave.
Throughout New York City, about 5,000 residents in 1,700 apartments in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan will be able to access solar energy through the Nuveen-Perch partnership.
Customers in the South Bronx have already begun signing up through Perch to connect their existing Con Edison accounts to the solar farm at the Bronx Logistics Center near East 149th Street and Bruckner Boulevard. Once enrolled, they will receive discounts on their Con Edison bills of up to 20%.
These kinds of arrangements will help ensure that solar energy is “truly available to all,” Bruce Stewart, CEO of Perch Energy, said in an interview with the Bronx Times.
‘Shared economy’
Over one-third of Bronxites carry high energy burdens, meaning they spend more than 6% of their income on energy needs, according to research by the think tank Win Climate. Connecting to community solar is one way for people to pool together — and ultimately save money — in an example of the “shared economy,” said Stewart.
It works by connecting energy customers with a shared solar plant — the kind typically found on large rooftops, parking lots or empty fields. This arrangement allows many more people to access solar energy, including renters who cannot install solar panels and property owners who might want them but cannot afford them or whose buildings are too shaded.
Stewart said to think of it like Uber or Lyft in that “you don’t have to buy the car to get the ride.”
Perch has begun educating property managers at the four South Bronx buildings and meeting face-to-face with residents to explain the program, according to Stewart. Residents can sign up online “in minutes,” he said — and those who have questions or need help can get it.
Meetings will continue throughout summer — and once enrolled, people will see savings on their electricity bills immediately, said Stewart.
“This effort will bring at least one bill down for working families, especially at a time when the cost of everything else is rising,” he said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
