Green-Thumb Seniors’ Guide to Saving Thousands on your Electricity Bill
By Stephanie Ghertner
Self-Help for the Elderly began serving seniors in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1966, back when “green” was just a color. A multi-service organization with programs ranging from vocational training to recreational activities, Self-Help for the Elderly serves over 25,000 seniors each year in the Bay Area.
Opened nearly thirty years ago, the non-profit agency’s Lady Shaw Senior Center provides affordable housing and quality services for residents and neighbors living in San Francisco’s Chinatown community, and today, it does so with less. Less energy bill, that is.
Last year, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) partnered with Self-Help for the Elderly and donated $110,000 for the installation of a new, state-of-the-art photovoltaic (pv) power system to reduce electricity costs at the Lady Shaw Senior Center. Completed in 2009, the installation will save Self-Help for the Elderly approximately $4,478 in energy expenses in the first year and hundreds of thousands of dollars over the system’s lifetime.
Designed and installed by the Bay Area’s own SolarCity, the 16 kilowatt solar system is expected to produce more than 21,162 kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable energy each year. In other words, the annual amount of greenhouse gas emissions is… zero!
The unique partnership between Self-Help for the Elderly and PG&E is just one example of how easy it is to make a difference. Anni Chung, President and CEO of Self-Help for the Elderly, said, “This new solar power system will help us conserve valuable resources and empower us to be a part of the solution to the problem of greenhouse gases and global warming.” Embracing solar power technology, Self-Help for the Elderly is taking an active role in the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The organization’s efforts demonstrate that even historical institutions, such as the Lady Shaw Senior Center, can become beacons of environmental change, helping to create a renewable-energy based economy and sustainable future.
