City Program Supports Solar in South Bend

Local organizations are saving money and reducing emissions with solar energy.

Over 500kW of solar energy system installations in South Bend can be attributed to the EASSI program. In its first two years, EASSI helped nine organizations implement solar as a way to improve energy efficiency.

The lightening bolts on the map represent the organizations location. Click and zoom in to see photos and system sizes!

EASSI (pronounced “easy”) stands for the Energy Assistance and Solar Savings Initiative. EASSI provides energy assessments, grants, and low-interest loans to community organizations to complete energy efficiency and solar projects.

Combined, the following four organizations have saved $21,000 in their year-one energy bills:

A 271 solar panel array was installed at La Casa de Amistad in October 2022

La Casa de Amistad

• 106.78 kW system — 271 panels
• Equivalent to taking 21 cars off of the road each year
• Spending 72% less on electric bills since the installation

La Casa’s energy bill’s went from being upwards of $1,000/month to a pretty consistent $270/month

This change in consumption and cost has helped La Casa to grow and allows them to allocate funds elsewhere. The panels were installed in October 2022 and were fully operational by March 2023.

Aerial view of solar panels after installation, the building now generates more energy than needed and is able to participate in net-metering

“There’s so much more benefit [to EASSI] than just the grant incentive, the ability to know your buildings needs is so important especially for nonprofits, so for an architect to come in and do a full assessment can save you tens of thousands of dollars down the road” — Juan Constantino, Executive Director

Beacon Resource Center

• 39.9 kW system — 90 panels
• Equivalent to reducing 52,000 lbs of CO2 in one year
• Saved over $3,800 on electric bills after one year of installation

Since the installation of solar panels, the Beacon has had a 42% decrease in energy consumption

Due to the Beacon being a large, shared building that accommodates for different organizations needs, energy bills were quite high. In IFF’s assessment, solar was highlighted as something that could be greatly beneficial towards the Beacon’s mission as well as their financial situation. The Beacon also had a new HVAC unit installed, which has also helped with the building’s overall efficiency. Their panels were installed in January 2023 and became operational in February 2023.

Two solar panel systems were installed above the large gym at the Beacon. Pictured: Jeff Walker, Executive Director

“[EASSI] can greatly enhance a non-profit organization to be able to improve energy efficiency or add solar systems in a way that they generally wouldn’t have the ability to do because of the financial aspect. For the city to be able to boost and give incentives allows for us to be able to do these upgrades.” — Jeff Walker, Executive Director

Near Northwest Neighborhood

• 8 kW system — 16 panels
• Equivalent to taking 9 cars off the road each year
• Spending less than $30/month on electric bills

In 2023, many of their electric bills were just the meter fee due to producing excess energy

Near Northwest Neighborhood (NNN) had a few energy efficiency upgrades done through the EASSI program; solar panels have had a biggest impact on their energy savings. NNN already had a solar array at the time that they applied for EASSI however, they had additional space and wanted to maximize their sustainability efforts.

The energy assessment done by IFF greatly helped NNN understand where they were losing energy and how they could improve their building through energy efficiency and solar upgrades. Since the solar installation in the summer of 2022, NNN has consistently produced more energy than they need.

Both solar systems on the roof of NNN; the older system is pictured on the left and the system provided through EASSI is on the right

“[EASSI has helped] especially with the solar installation. For us to look at any major sustainability upgrades, it’s a really hard thing to justify cost wise, so for nonprofit use, when you get a matching [grant] amount, it’s easier to fundraise [additional costs]” — Kathy Schuth, Executive Director

Clubhouse of St. Joseph County

• 24.75 kW system — 110 panels
• Equivalent of 520 trees grown in the next 10 years
• Saved over $2,000 on electric bills after the first year of installation

Reduced monthly electric bills for Clubhouse have allowed for less stress and more wiggle room in terms of spending

Clubhouse has had one of the greatest impacts in their organizations capacity due to their solar installation. With the major decrease in their monthly electric bills, they are able to allocate those funds to serving new members. Before the installation in October 2022, their utility bills were upwards of $500/month which caused financial strain. They now generally pay less than $300/month.

Solar panels provided opportunities for Clubhouse to expand and stay aligned with their mission: to help their members

“Right now, with our economic climate and our work, with inflation and a difficult economy, and [living in a] post COVID world and economy, it allows a little bit of breathing room. It allows us to not have to worry about every piece of our operations, it’s one less thing we have to worry about in terms of bills going up.” — Tess Olson, Executive Director

To learn more about the EASSI program, watch our video or visit the link!

Energy Assistance & Solar Savings Initiative (EASSI) - South Bend, Indiana