70 B U I L D E R BUILDERONLINE.COMDECEMBER 2016T
his fall, SolSmart announced
that 22 communities across the
U.S. achieved SolSmart status
from the DOE’s SunShot Initia-
tive. The program recognizes cities, towns,
and counties for making it faster, easier,
and cheaper to go solar; they accomplish
this largely by reducing the nonmaterial
costs of going solar.
Fourteen communities achieved Gold
status for taking significant steps to
reduce costs of going solar; one achieved
Silver status; and the remaining seven
earned Bronze designation.
SolSmart was developed by The Solar
Foundation and the International City/
County Management Association (ICCMA)
to help communities streamline processes
like permitting, inspection, financing op-
tions, and approval for solar. A SolSmart
designation signals that a community is
“open for solar business,” helping to attract
solar industry investment and generate
economic development and local jobs. It is
the latest in a series of programs, like the
Solar Friendly Communities recognition
program, aimed to help speed the deploy-
ment of local solar power.
“Local governments have a huge role to
play in advancing solar energy develop-
ment,” according to The Solar Founda-
tion’s Philip Haddix and ICCMA’s EmilySparks. “Solar soft costs can represent up to
two-thirds of the total price of an installed
residential system. By taking the initiative
to cut red tape and streamline local pro-
cesses, communities can reduce soft costs
and make solar significantly more afford-
able for homes and businesses.”
The first Gold designees include:
Austin, Texas; Fremont, San Carlos, Santa
Monica, and Santa Rosa, Calif.; Fort
Collins and the City of Boulder, Colo.;
Hartford, Conn.; Satellite Beach, Fla.;
Minneapolis; Columbia, Gladstone, and
Kansas City, Mo.; and Milwaukee, Wis.
Colorado’s Boulder County received a
Silver designation, and Bronze recipients
included Claremont and Redwood City,
Calif.; Denver; St. Paul, Minn.; Somerville,
Mass.; Philadelphia; and Burlington, Vt.
SolSmart aims to designate at least
300 communities over the course of the
three-year program, providing no-cost
technical assistance on the way to achiev-
ing that goal.
Visit gosparc.org to find out more about
the SolSmart program and the benefits it
can provide. Solar installations are com-
plex and specific, and SolSmart can pro-
vide excellent resources such as sample
code and policy language, statistics and
data, expert advice by phone or email, and
even on-site technical assistance.SHAPING THE
FUTURE
NAHB Student ChaptersNAHB Student Chapters annually
honor two individuals who promote
careers in the home building
industry at both the high school
and post-secondary levels.This year’s Industry Advisory Board
Member of the Year is Karen Schroeder,
executive vice president and partner at
Lansing, Mich.–based Mayberry Homes.
She is a member of the Construction
Management Industry Advisory Board
and the Homebuilding Education Lead-
ership Program advisory committee at
Michigan State University.Over the years Schroeder has helped
connect students to industry members.
She founded and became the first
chair of the Professional Women in
Building (PWB) Council at the HBA of
Greater Lansing. She also is active
on the national level, serving on the
boards of NAHB’s PWB Council and
the 55 + Housing Industry Council.The Program/Occupational Advisory
Committee Member of the Year is
presented to Eric A. Santini, of Santini
Homes, in Ellington, Conn.Santini, a member of the Home Builders
& Remodelers Association (HBRA) of
Central Connecticut, is involved with
NAHB’s student chapter at Rockville
High School in Vernon, Conn. He
coordinates school visits with other
HBRA members to help students
begin to make connections, in addition
to organizing jobsite visits.NAHB salutes these leaders’ dedication
and commitment to training the next
generation of industry leaders.HOME INNOVATION RESEARCH LABS /
ACHIEVING SOLSMART STATUS
Across the U.S., 22 communities have received SolSmart
status, which makes it easier to go solar“BY TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO CUT RED TAPE AND
STREAMLINE LOCAL PROCESSES, COMMUNITIES CAN
REDUCE SOFT COSTS AND MAKE SOLAR SIGNIFICANTLY
MORE AFFORDABLE FOR HOMES AND BUSINESSES.”NAHB NOTES