SOLARA Is California’s First Solar-powered Apartment Community
There is a new housing community in Poway California, Solara, a 56-unit family project completed earlier this year in this San Diego County community.
The $16.3 million project has mostly two- and three-bedroom units, with eight one-bedrooms. They range from 659 square feet to 1,023 square feet. All units are affordable, with 23 percent at 60 percent of the AMI, and the balance serving people with incomes as low as 30 percent of the AMI and below.
Rents range from $557 for a one-bedroom to $807 for a three-bedroom.
The building is the first in California and possibly in the entire country to use solar power for all residential and common areas. The building is still linked to the public utility power grid, so that it can feed in electricity during peak solar generating hours and draw power at night. The projects first monthly electric bills have been negative.
Tenants pay no utility costs and no utility allowance is applied to rents. However, tenants must take training in conservation, and “green” provisions are included in leases.
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December 7th, 2007 18:40
I think this is a great post. I would love to see more innovative thinking such as this. Many companies complain that it is to expensive to build green, but they should consider it a necessity and not an option.
www.chicdesigncafe.com
December 8th, 2007 18:06
Loved this piece, particularly the green communities, which ultimately is somewhat like the homes most of us will one day inhabit. Why? Our only way out of the ecological disaster is consuming less, on every level.