MILWAUKEE — Habitat for Humanity teamed up with Arch Solar to bring solar power to 35 of its recently built homes in Milwaukee.
Chris Garrison is the construction and operations director of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. He walked through the Harambee neighborhood, where solar panels have been installed on the homes they’ve recently built.
“We are really trying to make an impact and get more homeowners in the neighborhood and fill those vacant lots with some new homes and bring some good families in to help grow the neighborhood and give some good affordable options for these homeowners,” said Garrison.
An organization called “Focus on Energy” provided $550,000 to pay for the installation of the solar panels. Garrison said this will be a big deal for the homeowners that will live there.
“As everyone knows, everything is getting more expensive these day and energy bills are no exception there so a chance for new homeowners to come into a new house which is already pretty energy efficient to be able to have decreased electrical bills right away as well for the time they are in the house is really key and will help them save money in the long run,” said Garrison.
JD Smith is the Head of Business Development for Arch Solar. That’s the company that installed the solar panels.
Smith said their goal has always been to show solar power can make a difference in Wisconsin.
“That means for these homes, they come in with a stable energy source and the savings they did off of their bills is something they can start immediately taking advantage of,” Smith said. “So not only is it homes that have immediate impact right away in an area that they normally wouldn’t, it also shows people that this is something that works in Wisconsin and it’s something they can do.”
As Garrison toured the empty home that will have a new owner in a few months, he said he is thankful to play a role in the betterment of his community.
“I didn’t think I would be doing this type of work with my engineering degree but I really like it,” Garrison said. “I like working with all of the people that we work with, whether it’s volunteers, donors, the families and everybody at Habitat, we all like working towards a common goal of making home ownership achievable for these families.”
Garrison looks forward to helping more families find affordable housing while also saving on energy costs. He said he believes that’s one of keys to a prosperous future for the city.