HSOY completes first phase of solar project
The Humane Society of Yuma has completed Phase One of a solar project to reduce its ecological footprint and put more of its donor dollars directly into the animals in its care, the nonprofit recently announced.
The $7,280 monthly APS electricity bill is one of the largest expenses for the organization and to reduce the cost, it went forward with a solar project, Development Director Lana Shapiro said.
In late December, Eckard Commercial Construction Inc. completed the first part of the installation of the solar panels on the roof of HSOY.
To begin this project, the humane society put a call out to the public to help raise funds for the down payment to get the solar project off the ground, raising $10,000. It successfully funded the project last summer through a $300,000 donation from the estate of Janet Metzker.
Phase One will cover approximately 60 percent of the facility’s usage and will undergo minor modifications to increase the energy efficiency. Once connected to the grid, HSOY will reevaluate the energy usage after one year in use.
The money saved by installing solar will grant more resources to the direct care for the animals and will help close the financial gap during the summertime.
“With the assistance of a generous donation from the Estate of Janet Metzker, Eckard Commercial Construction for completing the project at cost and other committed donors, we have successfully funded Phase One of the solar project entirely,” Shapiro said.
She added, “The Humane Society of Yuma, even with this installation, won’t see those cost savings for another few months and will continue to need the support of the community to invest more funds into the direct care of animals with the goal of becoming a nokill community.”
When the humane society’s current facility was designed, the roofs of the kennel buildings were drawn to easily accommodate solar panels. A little over six years after the completion of the new shelter, solar is becoming a reality.
The cost savings alone will make a large impact on the lifesaving efforts at the humane society and will aid the organization with their mission of reducing the number of homeless pets and bring them closer to their goal of becoming a “no-kill” community.
HSOY takes in more than 8,000 animals annually, Shapiro said, and the solar project is a long-term investment that will help free up funds for the organization to use for direct care of the animals and improve the animal welfare of Yuma County, for many years to come.
The humane society’s legacy program, a planned giving program, has a large impact on the organization, she said. “These gifts make it possible to advance the organization and make large investments, such as the solar panels, kennel upgrades, etc. the investments and upgrades made on the facility are essential to the on-going operations of the Humane Society of Yuma.”
Visit https://www. hsoyuma.com for more information and to donate to the organization.