Sustainable Energy at North Coast

EV and Solar on the Horizon

As 2021 plugs along and life starts to twinkle with the resemblance of our lives before the pandemic, a positive vibe has started to emanate from within us all. And starting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, we are matching that enthusiasm with the strong sustainable leap we are taking this year.

Solar power has been a hot topic for a long time and has been on our radar for the better part of 11 years, but multifamily establishments have a disproportionate number of roadblocks compared to other industries. Complications come from assimilating hundreds of meters, roof loads, weather patterns, special permitting and then the critical challenge of how to distribute to our residents. Then you layer in the barrier of the utility company’s infrastructure not being built to manage something like this and local politics around said utility companies and you can see how the solar cocktail gets murky fast.

But anywhere there is a challenge we can usually find a solution and after many trials and tribulations we are proud to say that we are officially underway with providing a property-wide solar system for the residents at Barham Villas!

Barham Villas Apartments is a 168-unit community located in San Marcos, California. Their location, utility company and site construction made them the perfect candidate for our first full solar program and talks began getting serious in Q3 of last year. Vetting providers, utility liaisons, structural engineers, executive committees, employee consults and resident surveys all had a place at the table in this thorough process. And once the dust was settled it was clear that Barham Villas was the right choice.

Working alongside our solar provider, HES Solar, we will be installing top quality SUNPOWER panels and providing clean energy that will cover all of our energy demand for both residents and common areas. We are excited to note that we are also adding another sustainable layer to our program by including EV charging stations throughout the property as the future leans towards electric vehicles.

North Coast has always leaned on Green Living as a pillar of our company culture and we are proud to be taking this huge next step in reducing our carbon footprint. Providing our residents with the chance to live on clean energy in a place they love is a huge win for everyone and we are keeping our sights on the future as we move this program past the pilot phase and into the very fabric of our company.