All-Electric, Affordable Housing Nears Completion with Support from Central Coast Community Energy
October 16, 2022
Families Given Opportunity to Visit Environmentally Friendly Living Units for the First Time
CCCE Expands Future Eligibility for New Construction Electrification Program
HOLLISTER, Calif., Oct. 16, 2022 – Twenty-four families got one step closer to flipping the switch on new all-electric homes in Hollister today. The Riverview Estates II community, which anticipates scheduling official move-in days in March and June 2023, opened its doors to the development’s future residents, inviting kids and parents to step inside and visit their soon-to-be homes, many for the first time.
The housing development is designed to accommodate all-electric air and water heating systems, avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional gas-burning systems. Regional electricity generation provider Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) gave a $60,000 incentive from its New Construction Electrification Program to San Benito County Community Services Development Corporation (CSDC), the project’s developers, to ensure the new units offer residents safety and clean air, while leading the way for environmental protection. The incentive will be applied to home sale prices, reducing costs for the new homeowners.
“Central Coast Community Energy helped support our affordable housing efforts while providing equitable access to clean energy for our residents,” said Sonny Flores, Executive Director of San Benito County CSDC. “The all-electric homes will be efficient and help homeowners’ ongoing energy costs.”
Riverview Estates is the first mutual self-help project in Hollister that CSDC has supervised. The mutual self-help program assists low-income families with constructing their own homes. Each homeowner works 40 hours each week under the supervision of local subcontractors. The homeowners work on all 24 houses together. For safety reasons, children under 15 have not been allowed to visit the active construction site, until today’s event.
“We wanted to let families show the homes they’ve been working on to their kids, so they can see the progress,” explained Flores. “The next time these kids come here, their parents will have the keys to move in.”
CCCE will begin accepting applications for the fourth iteration of its New Construction Electrification Program on October 20th. The agency aims to distribute a total of $1.5 million in grants from the program in the current fiscal year. The program, which incentivizes new all-electric, affordable housing developments within CCCE’s service area, will improve upon previous years’ by expanding eligibility to farmworker housing units and accessory dwelling units (ADU).
“We’re working to accelerate electrification through the removal of barriers and costs,” said Dan Bertoldi, CCCE Manager of Energy Programs. “The expanded program creates additional ways to address community priorities like the ongoing housing shortage. As interest in ADUs grows, we want to help homeowners make the choice to go all-electric.”
The program runs on a first come, first served basis. Qualified housing projects must be built to all-electric standards for energy utility needs including water heating, space heating, and cooking appliances. Incentives are determined on a per unit basis and will be provided to developers and homeowners upon successful completion of the project.
Incentive levels are as follows:
• Affordable Housing multi-family developments – $2,500/unit, up to $240,000 per project
• Farmworker Housing – $2,500/unit, up to $240,000 per project
• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) – $5,000/unit, up to $10,000 per project
“The families of Riverview Estates are true leaders who can inspire others to electrify homes and create a cleaner environment for the Central Coast,” said CCCE Policy Board Chair Steve McShane. “CCCE’s New Construction Electrification Program is here to help our communities by building more sustainable living spaces and a brighter future.”
Since its initial launch in 2020, CCCE’s New Construction Electrification Program has funded the electrification of more than 1,500 local affordable housing units. Riverview Estates II is expected to displace 43 metric tons (mT) of greenhouse gas emissions per year. This is equivalent to taking about nine gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for one year.
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About Central Coast Community Energy
Central Coast Community Energy is a public agency that sources competitively priced electricity from clean and renewable energy resources. CCCE is locally controlled and governed by board members who represent each community served by the agency. Revenue generated by CCCE stays local and helps keep electricity rates affordable for customers, while also funding innovative energy programs designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions and stimulate economic development. CCCE serves 436,000 customers throughout the Central Coast, including residential, commercial, and agricultural customers in communities located within Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz counties. Learn more at 3CEnergy.org and on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
For more information:
Central Coast Community Energy
Lena Wallace
Communications Specialist
831-641-7206
lwallace@3ce.org
