Foundation Communities – Cisco Rey – 2017

Goals

Foundation Communities, an affordable housing nonprofit in central Texas, adopted an executive-sponsored climate goal based on the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge. To achieve this, the organization was interested in developing a strategy to meet its own energy efficiency and clean energy goals. EDF Climate Corps fellow Cisco Rey was brought in to evaluate Foundation Communities’ current solar inventory, determine the cost-efficacy of planned projects and quantify emission reductions and cost-saving opportunities. 

Solutions

To begin, Rey put together a set of best practices for collecting aggregate data. He then suggested ways to mitigate high energy consumption, including recommending that an a/c retrofit should be implemented. He also he built a tool to track existing solar production and evaluate the value of proposed solar systems.

Rey transitioned his focus to helping Foundations Communities register for the Better Buildings Challenge (BBC), and begin the process for adding an electric Vehicle (EV) charging station.

Potential Impact

Through these projects, Foundations Communities will see an NPV of $71,500 and will have the ability to easily recognize trends in solar production and resident paid utilities. The organization is now registered for the BBC and has added a second EV charging station to its portfolio.