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Marcus Aguilar, 8, rides his bike in front of his family’s home at Mariposa Villa in Winston last week. Mariposa Villa, a transitional housing apartment complex managed by the Umpqua Community Action Network, gets a third of its energy from solar panels.
WINSTON — Mariposa Villa, the new nine-unit, transitional housing apartment complex managed by the Umpqua Community Action Network, soaks up a third of its energy from the sun.
The 104 solar panels facing the sky over Winston are not only the most for an apartment complex in Douglas County, they are also the first to furnish clean energy to Oregon transitional housing. And with residential energy prices increasing annually across the nation between 2 and 3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Mariposa Villa is set to save some cash in the future.
“We’ll look better and better through time,” said Stuart Liebowitz, the senior housing developer for UCAN.
Funded by the Oregon Housing and Community Services agency, Mariposa Villa is also equipped with energy-saving appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs and heavier insulation. It purchases renewable energy through PacifiCorp’s Blue Sky for the remainder of its energy needs, and incoming residents are required to attend an energy conservation course.
“We do everything that we can to minimize our energy usage,” Liebowitz said.
Of the nine units, five are being served by the solar panels. A water heater for the laundry room is also strictly powered by solar energy. Together, on average, the solar panels should produce about 22,900 kilowatt hours per year.
According to the Department of Energy, in 2005 the monthly average consumption of electricity for a residence was 938 kilowatt hours. A 100-watt light bulb left on for 10 hours will consume one kilowatt hour.
The savings in energy consumption each year for Mariposa Villa should translate to about $2,000, hinging upon weather patterns and other factors.
The 104 solar panels facing the sky over Winston are not only the most for an apartment complex in Douglas County, they are also the first to furnish clean energy to Oregon transitional housing. And with residential energy prices increasing annually across the nation between 2 and 3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Mariposa Villa is set to save some cash in the future.
“We’ll look better and better through time,” said Stuart Liebowitz, the senior housing developer for UCAN.
Funded by the Oregon Housing and Community Services agency, Mariposa Villa is also equipped with energy-saving appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs and heavier insulation. It purchases renewable energy through PacifiCorp’s Blue Sky for the remainder of its energy needs, and incoming residents are required to attend an energy conservation course.
“We do everything that we can to minimize our energy usage,” Liebowitz said.
Of the nine units, five are being served by the solar panels. A water heater for the laundry room is also strictly powered by solar energy. Together, on average, the solar panels should produce about 22,900 kilowatt hours per year.
According to the Department of Energy, in 2005 the monthly average consumption of electricity for a residence was 938 kilowatt hours. A 100-watt light bulb left on for 10 hours will consume one kilowatt hour.
The savings in energy consumption each year for Mariposa Villa should translate to about $2,000, hinging upon weather patterns and other factors.
“It all depends on the occupants and if they turn the lights off or not,” said Al Walker, the owner of Energy Independence Co. in Glide who installed the solar panels for UCAN.
Mariposa Villa, however, is not completely “off the grid” and independent of electrical utilities. To do so would require solar batteries, and “they’re a lot of maintenance and a lot of extra expense,” Walker said.
Instead, Mariposa Villa’s wiring is set up with Blue Sky in a bi-directional format, meaning that whenever the panels produce power that is not used, it goes back to PacifiCorp for credit.
“It’s the largest project so far, as solar goes, in the county,” Walker said.
After equipment and installation, Liebowitz said the solar hook-up cost roughly $136,000, largely funded by Oregon Housing and Community Services and other tax credits.
Walker said the solar water heater alone cost $8,000, but after tax credits and incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon Inc. and other sources, the price was cut in half. Homeowners, he said, can use the same incentives to install a solar water heater for about $4,000.
Liebowitz said the savings, in costs and natural resources, are in the spirit of the recently passed state mandate that requires Oregon utilities to draw at least 25 percent of their power from clean and renewable energy resources by 2025.
In the future, Liebowitz said he’d also like to see UCAN’s food bank powered by solar energy. “But that’s for another day,” he said.
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@newsreview.info
Mariposa Villa, however, is not completely “off the grid” and independent of electrical utilities. To do so would require solar batteries, and “they’re a lot of maintenance and a lot of extra expense,” Walker said.
Instead, Mariposa Villa’s wiring is set up with Blue Sky in a bi-directional format, meaning that whenever the panels produce power that is not used, it goes back to PacifiCorp for credit.
“It’s the largest project so far, as solar goes, in the county,” Walker said.
After equipment and installation, Liebowitz said the solar hook-up cost roughly $136,000, largely funded by Oregon Housing and Community Services and other tax credits.
Walker said the solar water heater alone cost $8,000, but after tax credits and incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon Inc. and other sources, the price was cut in half. Homeowners, he said, can use the same incentives to install a solar water heater for about $4,000.
Liebowitz said the savings, in costs and natural resources, are in the spirit of the recently passed state mandate that requires Oregon utilities to draw at least 25 percent of their power from clean and renewable energy resources by 2025.
In the future, Liebowitz said he’d also like to see UCAN’s food bank powered by solar energy. “But that’s for another day,” he said.
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@newsreview.info
So you know ...
Mariposa Villa, at 272 through 288 S.E. Gregory Drive in Winston, was a $1.6 million project administered by the Umpqua Community Action Network for transitional housing. Typically, transitional housing is regarded as a second chance for renters with poor rental and credit histories and possibly a criminal history.
Of the nine transitional housing units at Mariposa Villa, six are set aside for low-income families whose income is at 30 percent or less of Oregon’s median income; three are for families whose income is at 50 percent or less of Oregon’s median income. Rent is weighted by salary. All utility costs are covered by UCAN. Stuart Liebowitz, the senior housing developer for UCAN, said residents have a timeline for improving their living situation once they enter a unit and typically aren’t allowed to stay for more than about two years. |
