PECO Energy has provided the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) with a grant of $232,100 for installation of photovoltaic solar energy systems at 22 homes in the Grays Ferry Estates under construction in Southwest Philadelphia and the Lucien E. Blackwell Homes in West Philadelphia.

The grant is part of a $500,000 PECO commitment to support solar power installation in low-income housing in Philadelphia. The company's initial grant -- $88,000 to the Norris Square Civic Association in December 2002 -- supported the installation of eight systems in the 100 block of W. Norris Street in North Philadelphia.

The grant is made available through PECO's Universal Services program, which provides usage reduction and utility financial assistance to more than 125,000 low-income households throughout the company's service area.

The Grays Ferry Estates, an affordable housing development, are being built on the site of the former Tasker Homes in Southwest Philadelphia near the Schuylkill Expressway. Eighteen of the 22 solar energy units will be installed there on south-facing homes on Mifflin Street. The remaining four units will be installed at the Blackwell Homes, formerly the Mill Creek Homes, at 46th Street and Fairmount Avenue in West Philadelphia.

The Housing Authority estimates that residents using the solar systems will save from $400 to $500 yearly in energy costs, or as much as 25 percent of their energy costs each year.

Six 185-watt solar panels will be mounted on each roof and connected to the home's electrical system. Each installation is expected to produce 1,630 kilowatt-hours of usable electricity in a year.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO Energy is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation.

7/23/2004