The Los Angeles County Development Authority is pleased to announce that it has been awarded more than $1 million in grants from the California Public Utilities Commission, through the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing Program, which provides financial incentives for installing energy efficient systems on multifamily affordable housing throughout the State.
The grants will go toward two separate LACDA senior public housing developments currently undergoing major solar renovations; South Bay Gardens in southeast Los Angeles and Orchard Arms in Valencia.
The renovations are part of a larger LACDA effort to “go green” by increasing solar efficiency and decreasing utility costs by 30-40% for public housing residents. A first SOMAH grant of $475,000 will be applied to the South Bay Gardens for the installation of new solar carports while the solar project at Orchard Arms, will be funded with a $681,000 award from SOMAH. Like the South Bay Gardens project, the solar carports installed at Orchard Arms will work to provide clean energy to residents.
Additionally, the LACDA is working with partners to provide energy efficient initiatives for residents at little to no cost. Through the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department, the LACDA was successful in obtaining funding from the Reliable, Equitable, and Accessible Charging for multifamily Housing (REACH) to install 30 electric vehicle charging stations at three public housing developments; Carmelitos, Harbor Hills, and Quartz Hill. Each site was evaluated and found to be the best fit to improve current energy infrastructure and meet existing and future resident demand for charging stations.
The LACDA’s partnerships with Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, have also been successful. Both Edison and LADWP, installed LED lighting in the common areas at several LACDA public housing developments, including Marina Manor, Orchard Arms, and Lancaster Homes. SoCal Gas installed high-efficiency boilers at Orchard Arms, Foothill Villa, and Marina Manor. This collaboration with the SoCal Gas Company is still ongoing, but the LACDA cost-savings will be approximately $2 million.
“We are excited and thankful to receive this grant from SOMAH,” said Emilio Salas, LACDA Executive Director. “It is encouraging to see our partners working collaboratively toward a future of clean energy. We are working diligently in Los Angeles County to Build Better Lives and Better Neighborhoods and that includes building efficient and greener energy communities.”
For more information about the LACDA’s Public Housing Program, please call (626) 262-4510. All media may contact Elisa Vásquez, LACDA Public Information Officer, at (626) 586-1762.
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2 Comments
Waste of taxpayers money. LED lights are HORRIBLE! Ugly and BAD for our health. Study after study prove it as seem below in just a few of them out of hundreds:
1) Health-wise, blue light suppresses melatonin, and therefore, it can hinder sleep for humans and other walks of life on Earth (hence why some people use blue light glasses). Over time, this can lead to various health problems, such as hypertension, diabetes, and even heart attack.
The way blue light exacerbates light pollution can also impact human’s “sense of nature,” and it can hinder the behavior of animals that rely on light sources, like bats and certain types of insects
2) “IDA’s 2010 white paper, “Visibility, Environmental, and Astronomical Issues Associated with Blue-Rich White Outdoor Lighting,” detailed the threats associated with exposure to blue-rich white light sources.
While the AMA report supports the use of LED lighting in order to reduce energy consumption and the use of fossil fuels, it recognizes that some LED lights are harmful. The report details findings from an increasing body of scientific evidence that implicates exposure to blue-rich white light at night to increased risks for cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Not only is blue-rich white LED street lighting five times more disruptive to our sleep cycle than conventional street lighting, according to the report, but recent large surveys have documented that brighter residential nighttime lighting is associated with reduced sleep, impaired daytime functioning and a greater incidence of obesity.” “…The AMA findings also underscore the fact that detrimental effects of blue-rich LED lighting are not limited to humans. “Other species are just as vulnerable to disruption of their circadian rhythms as are humans, and often more so,”
3) “It is now accepted that artificial night-time lighting has various effects on humans (not to mention wildlife) and that exposure to optical radiation affects human physiology and behavior, both directly and indirectly. Many areas are not well understood, and a position statement from the Illumination Engineering Society (IES) emphasizes mainly the need for further research. At the other end of the scale, a French government report emphasizes the risks of LED lighting and makes various recommendations.
IES position statement and DOE white paper
The Illumination Engineering Society (IES) has released a position statement entitled “Effects of Exterior Lighting on Human Health (PS-03-10),” which is not specific to LEDs. The document states that “optical radiation detected by the retina impacts an individual’s behavior, psychology, and perception of the environment. The position of the IES is to promote and encourage a more complete understanding of human responses to optical radiation leading to improved designs for all lighted environments.”
so buy 2700k (yellow) LED lights.