December 2, 2022
Community Housing Partners (CHP) and Dimension Renewable Energy are making good on their promise to deliver the benefits of shared solar to Virginia households. On Nov. 9, they hosted Virginia’s first community solar kickoff celebration at Townsquare at Dumfries Apartments in Dumfries, Virginia, and have already enrolled dozens of residents in guaranteed future savings on their utility bills.
More than 50 Townsquare at Dumfries residents signed up for CHP Solar Savings last month. CHP residents who are also Dominion Energy customers are eligible to subscribe for the program designed to give low-income households access to cheaper solar power being generated on the Dominion electric grid. When local solar projects begin operating, residents will receive guaranteed savings on their power bill every month.
At the kickoff event, Shaun Rai, Senior Vice President of Multifamily Housing at CHP, spoke about the program as an extension of the CHP’s mission to create homes and communities that are healthy, sustainable, and affordable. “Our understanding of housing affordability goes beyond the basic cost of paying rent — utilities are important, too,” he said. “Most of our residents pay their own power bills, so anything we can do to reduce the burden on residents and their monthly bills is a positive impact on overall housing affordability. Even a small amount of savings can be meaningful to our residents.”
Residents with an average monthly Dominion bill of $110 can expect to save an average of $11 per month. When residents enroll in CHP Solar Savings, their Dominion account will receive an allocation of solar energy production equal to 100% of their historical electricity usage, generating a solar credit on their Dominion bill.
“We are equally excited about giving our residents access to renewable energy,” said Rai, who explained that residents will start to see savings when solar projects are completed in the fall of 2023. “CHP has been involved in sustainability efforts since our founding in the 1970s, and sustainability remains part of our DNA today.”
Other speakers at the kickoff celebration included Sen. Scott Surovell with Virginia’s 36th District; Rafael Dobrzynski, CEO of Dimension Renewable Energy; former Del. Jay Jones with Virginia’s 89th District; and Tannia Talento, Regional Director for the Office of U.S. Senator Mark Warner. Surovell and Jones led the 2020 efforts in the Virginia General Assembly to create the shared solar program for Dominion Energy customers. (Learn more about the solar savings partnership.)
Townsquare at Dumfries is one of 44 CHP apartment communities in Virginia with residents eligible for the program. In the coming months, CHP and Dimension Renewable Energy will roll the program out to residents at the remaining properties with support from Arcadia, a clean energy-focused technology company that developed and managed the subscription platform. See video below to learn more about the solar savings partnership.