Mrs. Rojas smiling in front of her home, donning solar panels
When Maria Rojas of Fresno learned from a family member about the energy efficiency benefits they had received through the Farmworker Housing program, she looked into whether her household might qualify. Since her husband picks fruit and works as a pruner for agricultural operations in Reedley and Huron, Mrs. Rojas learned her family was able to qualify for services.
Today, Mrs. Rojas and her family have a solar photovoltaic system and energy efficiency upgrades in their home. These upgrades include a high efficient air conditioning system, new windows that minimize heat transfer, a smart thermostat, and other measures that reduce energy costs while improving the comfort and livability of their home and its resiliency to climate change.
The Farmworker Housing program provides no-cost rooftop solar photovoltaic systems and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income farmworker households to reduce GHG emissions and lower energy costs. By specifically targeting farmworkers, the program helps this population realize the benefits from the investments California is making to reduce GHG emissions.
La Cooperativa Campesina de California, a non-profit with 25 years of experience serving farmworkers, is a partner administering the Farmworker Housing program. Together with a team of organizations, La Cooperativa provides services to single-family farmworker dwellings and buildings of two-to-four units across 12 counties with the highest farmworker populations.
“Our experience as participants in the program has been beyond wonderful,” said Mrs. Rojas. “Our home had unreliable air-conditioning and heating that did not support our household needs in both the hot summers and cold winters. Our appliances were not energy efficient, which also meant that our energy costs were high. On top of that, our windows were terrible. Now, my home looks beautiful and like new.”
By spending less on their energy bills, Mrs. Rojas and her family will be able to invest their income on other needs.