Lending a HAND on Earth Day

Earth Day may have landed on a Saturday this year, but that didn’t stop NHT from participating in the events. As a member of the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND), NHT employees volunteered their time on Earth Day to help install solar panels on Parkchester Apartments in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to solar, the 94 tenants living in the Parkchester Apartments in Southeast D.C. will soon have fully renovated units, new energy efficient appliances, and a new community space. These renovations are possible because of a new 118 kW solar system that will allow Parkchester Apartments’ management, The NHP Foundation (NHPF), to save up to 50% of its electrical bill costs. Other upgrades include new security lighting, new roofing, a new playground, and a new community center. Through the unit renovations, tenants will enjoy the benefits of brand new appliances, new energy efficient lighting fixtures, and energy efficient HVAC systems, which will in turn lower their electric bill costs. 

The solar installation is headed by GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, while HAND volunteers helped lay the foundation for the fourth solar array.

The volunteers were from HAND’s Braintrust advisory group and GenerationHAND’s leadership initiative, a program designed to help build and support a pipeline of talent within the affordable housing and community development industry.

For more information on NHT’s involvement in the HAND and our solar initiatives, please contact NHT Sustainability Associate Kathleen Berube.

Note: Text for this article originally appeared on gridalternatives.org, here.