McEachin aims to bring residential solar to the masses

Congressman Donald McEachin (D-Va.) introduced legislation this week to make residential solar energy more affordable for low-income families.

The Low-Income Solar Energy Act would expand a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their energy bills to include more relief for solar energy, direct the Department of Energy to create new solar financing programs, and provide certain homeowners with interest-free loans to install solar.

In Virginia, the solar industry employs nearly 4,000 people and produces enough solar energy to power over 87,000 homes. But for many low-income households across the Commonwealth, the barriers to accessing solar power, like the high upfront costs of installing solar panels, make it a luxury they cannot afford.

McEachin said that constituents in Virginia’s 4^th Congressional District are “eager for solutions” to the climate crisis and that his bill helps makes those solutions more accessible.

“All Americans – regardless of where they live – deserve a healthy, sustainable environment,” McEachin said. “That is why this bill is important. Investing in solar energy will not only reduce the energy burden on low-income families, but it will also result in cleaner air and healthier families.”

The move should play well in Virginia where 82% of voters support policies that incentivize solar and other clean energy technologies, according to the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.