By Grace Lowe
The Kentucky Office of Energy Policy (OEP) is investing in a partnership between Kentucky Habitat for Humanity (KyHFH) and Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities Company (LG&E and KU) to provide cost-saving community solar subscriptions to energy burdened households across Kentucky. Using State Energy Program funding, OEP will help expand the impact of the successful collaboration between KyHFH and the utility's Solar Share Program.
The Solar Share Program allows LG&E and KU's residential, business, and industrial customers to subscribe to a portion of a local solar array and receive monthly bill credits based on the solar energy generated.
The program has a gifting option, which allows subscribers to donate the solar share to an individual or organization, providing the recipient with bill credits from the solar generation for the next 25 years. In their role as a gifting partner, KyHFH works with Habitat affiliates across the state to identify households who could benefit most from the transferred solar share credits, with the goal of reducing families' monthly energy usage by up to 30%.
The additional funding from OEP will help KyHFH increase the number of solar shares they can allocate, expanding the reach of the Solar Share program and lowering energy costs for Kentucky households experiencing low incomes.
