Project Open Hand

Solar Water Heating

San Francisco's Project Open Hand is in a lot of hot water these days.

About 170,000 gallons a year, to be exact. And it's heated by clean, non-polluting energy.

The organization is a non-profit that provides meals for the homebound and elderly. Recently, the group went solar with financing from a local utility. The new solar hot water system makes this people-friendly organization environmentally friendly as well.

This system is also expected to eliminate up to a million pounds of greenhouse emissions over its lifetime. And once plans to triple its capacity are completed, it should save Project Open Hand up to $12,000 a year in energy costs -- enough to provide 6,700 more meals for the needy.

This progressive non-profit isn't the only one that can save with solar. With a little investment, you can reap some of these same benefits at home. Federal tax credits are available, and many states, municipalities, and utilities also offer rebates and other incentives for going solar.

Then who knows? With some of the savings, maybe you'll have an extra opportunity to help out a charity in Your Town, USA.

Script by Stephen Webb

Discovery Links

To learn more about today’s topic, please explore the links below:

• Project Open Hand
• Solar Rebate Map, find what rebates are available to you
• Federal Tax Credits for solar water heating