The installation of a solar system has been an all-win situation for the UUFSD Fellowship, our members, and the environment.  The church property is 6.42 acres located in Solana Beach, California which includes four educational buildings (leased to a pre-school during the week), a newly renovated administration building, a recently remodeled kitchen and a small library building that houses bathroom facilities. We hold services in Founders Hall, or outside in the amphitheater under the shade umbrellas weather permitting.   The property was donated in 1962.    

In 2017, my friend, and our current UUFSD President, Linda Giannelli Pratt and I were co-chairs of the Environmental Justice Task Force.   We surveyed the membership to understand the biggest environmental issues facing the day-to-day operation of the fellowship, and how to best fulfill our ongoing stewardship of the property.  The top three issues were the use of solar power, zero waste and recycling, and using a financial institution that had investments congruent with UU values.  Amazingly, we accomplished all three projects in 2 years. 

The process to build the solar system was simple.  We contacted 3 solar companies and provided them with utility bills that showed the prior year’s usage.  They calculated how much electricity we needed to run the campus and what equipment was needed to generate that amount of electricity. Luckily we didn’t have any overhanging trees to prune or cut down. Since churches are non-profit organizations under IRS rules, we could not take advantage of the tax credits to reduce the cost, but the contractor agreed to reduce his price by donating the amount of the tax credit as a charitable deduction. 

The total cost of the project was $56,000. which included re-roofing and the solar system. Founders Hall, our newest and largest building, had to be re-roofed which cost $22,335. The total cost of the solar installation project was $33,665.  The solar system consists of 46 panels with inverters, and a “smart meter” system to send excess electricity to the grid. 

The next decision was how to pay for the solar system or lease it from the solar contractor.  The contractor offered to lease the solar system to the Fellowship for 10 years at 5.99% with payments of $392. per month and after 10 years we would own the system.  We decided to fund it ourselves.  We had four generous families that loaned us the money to pay for the project.  The four individual notes for the loans were paid at 4% interest over 10 years with twice yearly payments. 

As of 2017, our average electric bill was $404. per month.  Since flipping the switch on the solar system, our electric bills have been reduced to only paying the flat fee for using the grid, which is the base fee that our local utility company charges all users.  We are reimbursed for excess energy that is sent back to the grid through a net energy metering agreement. Our solar electric system has protected us from several skyrocketing rate increases. Since our area has only occasional rainfall, we have an additional cost of cleaning the panels every few years.  

We are well pleased with this outcome which has decreased our costs by about $500 per month or $6,000 per year.  To see a bird’s eye view of our campus and the solar installation go to:  https://uufsd.org/visitor-frequently-asked-questions/our-facilities/drone-tour-of-campus/

This Win-win situation has worked out very well for our fellowship and is a great model for our members and the wider community. 

If you would like further information, please email me at hecht.deb@gmail.com.   

The photos below are of Founders Hall located on the 6.42 acres of the UUFSD campus in Solana Beach. Founders Hall is our main building. There are 46 panels with individual inverters.