Canary Media's Electrified Living column features real-life stories, tips and ideas designed to highlight what people can do to power their homes and lives with clean electricity. Canary thanks Moon Power for the column support.
John Smiley has long been concerned about the climate crisis. But in 2019 he started to worry a lot. He thought that big, powerful actors would eventually step in to solve the problem, but as he read the news about worsening fires, floods, and other natural disasters, he realized that climate change is now getting worse.
The stress began to affect his personal life. "My wife said you have to do something." It’s not good for you,” says the 36-year-old CFO and father.
So he took their advice and volunteered with nonprofit advocacy organizations like Citizens Climate Lobby and the League of Women Voters, and dedicated himself to decarbonizing his family home. Over the years, Smiley replaced most of the home's single-pane windows with double-pane windows, installed ductwork, added attic insulation, and installed heat pump water heating and pump air conditioning/heating. of heat, all standards that have reduced fossil fuels. Gas consumption increased by 84 percent and carbon dioxide emissions in their homes increased by 46 percent.
in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Smiley, who lives in this city of 16,000, also initially thought about purchasing solar panels, but the roof prevented him from doing so. Interior skylights take up a lot of roof space and shade the panels, making them very effective.
By looking at other buildings around him, he discovered that he could install solar panels instead of on the roof.
The Montgomery County Juvenile Office was located at the end of the street and had a flat roof, ideal for using solar energy. The nonprofit's executive director pitched the idea to Karen Branch, and the organization offered to donate $30,000 (the amount it would cost for the home's solar panels) to help him go solar.
“We were surprised and delighted to receive this ‘great gift’ of solar adoption,” Branch said. "For us it was a no-brainer," he said.
In August 2022, a 9.9 kilowatt solar battery was installed in the Youth Office. Utility costs were cut in half this summer, saving the nonprofit an average of $150 a month, Branch said.
Last July, the energy bill for the 11,000-square-foot building was just $120, even less than the bill for Branch's 2,500-square-foot home, he said.
Dollars saved are reinvested in the organization's programs that provide counseling, court advice, extra food and more. Last year, the nonprofit provided assistance to 3,200 youth.
Smiley's donation turned out to be a "gift that keeps on giving."
Community Climate Solutions
Helping the Montgomery County Youth Bureau purchase solar panels has shown that you can use your smile to find clean energy solutions to not only reduce your own carbon footprint, but that of the community at large. He wanted to increase his influence in this way, but he didn't know how to do it.
Then last summer, Congress passed legislation to restrain inflation, the largest climate bill in history. The law makes it easier for nonprofits, schools and other tax-exempt organizations to get clean energy tax credits. Although there is no tax bill, these organizations can now receive 30 percent of the cost of solar projects directly from the federal government.
Montgomery's Smylie District, home to a closed coal-fired power plant, also qualifies for an additional 10 percent tax credit because the federal government classifies Montgomery as an energy community. If a company installs equipment that meets parts manufacturing requirements in the U.S., it can receive an additional 10 percent rebate.
Smiley saw a great opportunity. He learned everything he could about the new climate law, specifically training the citizen climate lobby on complex legislation. Armed with this knowledge and financial experience, he began looking for other nonprofits to help him transition to solar energy.
Next: The local boys and girls club.
Last fall, Smiley, Helen and Mark Hudson, two other members of the League of Women Voters, got together and asked the Boys & Girls Club of Montgomery County to install solar panels. While having lunch with company officials, Smiley reviewed the numbers.
"I have an advanced degree in finance. I do cash flow modeling for living expenses," Smiley said. This way, he was able to show how much the IRA incentives would cost Solar Circle after taking into account the company's direct payments: a net metering program of about $2,000 a year for a local utility. In the end, Smiley offered to donate a total of $9,000 to fund the project, with an 11 percent annual increase expected to end up at $34,000, or Ai and Hudsons.
“We are so excited and inspired by everyone,” said Troy Mitchell, board president of the Boys & Girls Club of Montgomery County.
The 10 kW solar grid was commissioned last month. These images are a clear demonstration of climate action for the youth the organization serves and a source of energy to help the organization achieve its mission, said Erica Cummins, the club's interim director.
"The more dollars we spend on things like utilities, the more dollars we can put directly into supporting our children," he said.
Solar panels for people.
Today, a smile represents a storm of climate action, albeit calm and analytical. In April, IRA spoke to an audience of nonprofit group workers to discuss how to make the transition to clean energy affordable. In his speech, he talked about a wide range of opportunities, including the Solar Purchasing Cooperative that he helped and the Hudson family who inspired him to create and invest $10,000 in the Solar Purchasing Cooperative.
Smiley has plenty of other projects on his plate: He's working on solar energy for another nonprofit and a local school, proposing that police and city electrify their vehicles, and opposing overly restrictive laws that kill solar and wind projects. . in your area.
Smiley said he wants others to find ways to encourage their communities to reduce carbon emissions, whether through direct donations, helping a nonprofit learn how to use solar energy or educating people about the options. of solar homes. If you can help people take advantage of the IRA's climate benefits at the national level, others can too.
What about climate anxiety? "He won't love it anymore," said Smiley; The work was medicine. Volunteering has become "a good way to cope with stress and make a direct and positive contribution to society."
Climate change is the biggest collective action problem in human history, Smiley said. Solving a problem is like pushing a huge rock up a mountain: "I am a pair of hands."
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