Thanks to funding from California Climate Investments through the Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP), Rocio Hernandez and her family reduced their home energy costs by installing a new rooftop solar system and energy efficiency upgrades. At first, Mrs. Hernandez thought the referral flyer her husband brought home after work as a seasonal farmworker during the grape harvest in Delano was too good to be true. A local farmworker agency provided information about the LIWP Farmworker Housing Component, a California Climate Investment program focusing exclusively on the installation of energy efficiency measures and solar photovoltaics (PV) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for farmworker households at no cost. Mrs. Hernandez was pleasantly surprised to find that assistance was, in fact, available for eligible households like hers to reduce home energy costs, all while making homes safer and more comfortable.
Mrs. Hernandez, her husband, and three boys now enjoy a new rooftop solar PV system and energy efficiency upgrades to keep them comfortable and their home more resilient to the effects of climate change in Central California. Their Delano home boasts new upgrades that include an efficient heating and cooling system, a whole house fan, a smart thermostat, low flow water faucets and showerheads, and other safety measures, reducing their energy costs to pennies on the dollar.
The Farmworker Housing Component is administered by the Department of Community Services and Development in partnership with La Cooperativa Campesina de California, a statewide association of non-profits implementing and administering farmworker service programs. Through LIWP, La Cooperativa provides services to single-family farmworker households and buildings of two-to-four units to address the needs of this traditionally hard-to-reach population.
“Our experience with the program has been amazing, and we are so happy to have been able to participate and receive the free help,” said Mrs. Hernandez. “The electricity bills in our five-person household went from about $150 a month to now the highest we have paid is $3.00 a month. We are extremely happy with the appliances we received through the program like our new heating and cooling system. However, we are especially happy with our new solar PV system as we feel that has made the most difference in our energy costs and savings. We feel so lucky and thankful.”
With three growing boys in the home, the Hernandez family can now put their new energy savings to good use for other important necessities.