This month, we celebrate the DC Solar for All program and all the progress we have made to expand access to clean energy in the District of Columbia and beyond.
Since the first Solar for All subscriber received a clean energy credit on their PEPCO bill in 2019, Groundswell has served more than 6,000 District residents through the program with more than $6 million in clean energy savings. Subscribers have also helped prevent roughly 37 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution by choosing to save money on their electricity bills with locally generated clean energy.
We have enjoyed getting to know subscribers through this groundbreaking program, and comments subscribers shared have undeniably shaped the program. One of the ways the program has changed since it first began is the introduction of Welcome to the Program parties. We got to join District residents and our friends from the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) for one of these celebrations last month, where we distributed program information while getting to know our DC neighbors a bit better.
Outreach events like the Welcome to the Program parties - as well as other forms of outreach to new subscribers including Welcome to the Program calls, letters, and emails - have been a big part of the success of the Solar for All program. Outreach that meets people where they are makes it possible to, engaging with the community we serve and answer frequently asked questions
Meeting people where they are also means making sure access to the information they need in a way that makes sense to them. Many busy adults don’t have time to read volumes of information about a program - especially if the information is not written in their first language. Groundswell added videos answering frequently asked questions, created Spanish-language versions of flyers and online resources, and hosted Solar for All webinars in both English and Spanish to make sure DC residents would have access to information and resources in a format that worked for them. We also reached out to subscribers to share information about additional savings opportunities, videos about the program, and program updates in monthly English and Spanish e-newsletters.
Throughout these four years of service, the DC Solar for All program has established itself as a successful model for community solar that truly serves residents and neighborhoods. In addition to providing District residents with up to $500 a year in electricity bill savings, the program has contributed to DC being an epicenter of solar career opportunities and clean energy career training.
We are thankful to have served our DC residents these past four years and look forward to continuing to build community power.
Groundswell