HABITAT HOMES GO SOLAR
Last year, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity installed solar water heating systems on 11 new homes.
Aunique partnership among energy industry
professionals, solar technology manufacturers
and a well-respected charity has provided an
opportunity for students to learn how to install
solar water heating systems, while bringing
this progressive technology to homeowners who have a real
need to save money on their energy expenses.
is pilot project, linking Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity with Wisconsin’s leading utility and energy partners,
solar thermal manufacturers, contractors and educators,
has brought cost-e ective, renewable energy to Milwaukee’s
inner city. In the process, it has provided an opportunity for
contractors to get hands-on experience with the best ways to
properly install the systems.
THE COLLABORATION BEGINS
A er attending a renewable energy fair in mid-2007, Adam
Helt-Baldwin, construction director for Milwaukee Habitat for
Humanity, began to wonder how solar energy could be applied
to the organization’s homes and t into its motto of “simple,
decent, a ordable.” Habitat organizations in other parts of the
United States had brought the technology to their building processes, but it had not been used in Milwaukee Habitat homes
before. In the months that followed, Helt-Baldwin linked up
with WE Energies, the large public utility serving much of
Wisconsin, and they began to piece together how to bring cost-saving solar water heating technology into 11 Habitat homes
under construction in Milwaukee’s inner city.
“WE Energies took more of an organizational lead, helping
to bring sponsors to the project,” says Jessica ibodo-John-
son, WE Energies renewable energy specialist. WE Energies
invited manufacturers and other leaders in the solar industry,
from companies including Cale , Hot Water Products Inc.,
Johnson Controls and others, to be a part of the project.
Furthering its funding and coordination role, WE
Energies sought the collaboration of Focus on Energy, a
statewide energy-efficiency and renewable-energy organization. Funded by the Public Service Commission,
Focus on Energy provides information and
SOLAR STAR
Milwaukee was named
one of 25 Solar America
Cities in early 2008. Solar
America Cities is a partnership
between the U.S. Department of
Energy and a select group of cities
that have committed to accelerating the
adoption of solar energy technologies for a
cleaner, safer, more reliable energy future.
Contributions from suppliers made the solar installations possible.
educational programs, and connects customers with contractors. e organization compiles a list of quali ed solar water
heating installers, some of whom have even been certi ed by
the North American Board of Certi ed Energy Practitioners.
IDENTIFYING INSTALLERS
“One of the barriers to solar that we discovered was nding
trained installers,” ibodo-Johnson says, adding that it’s a
requirement in Wisconsin that contractors be the lead on an
installation before they can be added to Focus on Energy’s
installer list.
Through the Habitat for Humanity solar water heating
installation project, contractors were able to get that needed
experience, thereby meeting one of the requirements to be
listed with Focus on Energy.
While Wisconsin is one of the states leading in the use of
solar energy, the Milwaukee area is not as far along as other
areas of the state when it comes to having a large contingent
of quali ed installers. Local industry professionals recognize
the need to build the base of installers from the ground up.
To get the needed training and installation experience,
five students took a three-week Advanced Solar Thermal
Training course conducted by the Midwest Renewable
Energy Association (MREA) in fall 2008, which culminated
in each of them leading the installation of a solar water
heating system at a Habitat for Humanity house (see the
accompanying sidebar). The MREA is a nonprofit group
based in north-central Wisconsin that provides training for
people interested in pursuing careers in renewable energy.
