LA County receives $1.1 million for solar renovations in public housing

Los Angeles County received a grant of more than $1.1 million from the California Public Utilities Commission to fund solar renovations at multifamily affordable housing developments, officials announced Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County Development Authority will use the grants for two senior public housing developments — with $475,000 for South Bay Gardens in southeast LA and $681,000 for Orchard Arms in Valencia — that are already undergoing major solar renovations.

“We are excited and thankful to receive this grant from SOMAH,” LACDA Executive Director Emilio Salas said. “It is encouraging to see our partners working collaboratively toward a future of clean energy. We are working diligently in Los Angeles County to ‘Build Better Lives and Better Neighborhoods’ and that includes building efficient and greener energy communities.”

The renovations funded by the grant are part of an effort by the authority to increase solar efficiency and decrease residents’ utility costs by 30-40%, according to LACDA.

Officials said the authority is obtaining funding through the Reliable, Equitable and Accessible Charging for Multifamily Housing, or REACH program to install 30 electric vehicle charging stations at the public housing developments Carmelitos, Harbor Hills and Quartz Hills. The county also collaborated with Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Co., and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to install efficient lights and appliances.