Publish Date: December 2nd, 2021
Providing energy bill relief
This winter, 176 families will have access to community solar subscriptions because of the $43,900 raised by the Keep the Lights on Colorado campaign. We saw our community come together once again to support Colorado families with 16 corporate sponsors and 60 individual donors contributing to make solar energy more accessible to all people.
In case you missed it...
Namaste Solar created Keep the Lights on Colorado in 2020 to honor our vision of engaging in and creating holistic wealth for our community. It’s an annual month-long campaign that raises money for Energy Outreach Colorado, a Denver-based not-for-profit, helping families throughout Colorado who are unable to keep up with utility payments. Energy Outreach Colorado gives families access to community solar subscriptions* that provide long-term stability in the form of monthly bill credits, which can reduce their annual home energy costs by 37%.
What’s the impact?
“Energy Outreach Colorado’s mission is to ensure that all Coloradans can afford their home energy needs,” said Tess Richey, director of development at Energy Outreach Colorado. “Through the Keep the Lights on Colorado campaign, we can extend affordable, reliable, and efficient energy to power households struggling to keep their home’s electricity on. The impact of this campaign is significant to the families served. It provides them with the opportunity to power their home through renewable energy and reduce their energy bills. By reducing the cost of basic needs like home energy, Coloradans can truly thrive.”
Community solar subscriptions are taking a burden away from families and giving them the freedom to invest in other needs or wants. Energy Outreach Colorado believes that all families deserve access to a safe, warm home. When we look at the long-term impacts, lower-income communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental hazards like pollution and CO2 emissions. By making renewable energy more accessible, Keep the Lights on Colorado provides energy bill relief for families all while offsetting 623,216 pounds of CO2 this year, the equivalent of 710,446 miles driven by one car.
“A benefit of this campaign is putting choice in the hands of Colorado families struggling to afford home energy bills; only when someone’s immediate needs are met can choices be made that affect the long term,” said Sam Mason, Namaste Solar co-owner and commercial design team manager. “For example, if I’m struggling with basic necessities like utility bills, I may not have the ability to prioritize reducing my environmental impact.”
By giving more people the option to utilize renewable energy, we are acting against climate change and securing a better future for us all. Our community of corporate sponsors and individual donors are creating more awareness of solar energy and its environmental benefits. And by supporting a local nonprofit we are creating holistic wealth and envisioning a world where all of us can thrive.
“Namaste Solar strongly believes in supporting the communities that we are a part of, and especially in the last two years, we’ve seen that people are struggling and have immediate needs that we want to help ease,” said Jenna Stadsvold, Namaste Solar co-owner and brand manager. “We hope this campaign can provide immediate relief to some Colorado families; it’s an added bonus that Energy Outreach Colorado helps invest in solar energy for the long-term, too.”
Thank you for the support!
Thank you to everyone who supported Keep the Lights on Colorado this year. Special shoutout to our corporate sponsors for contributing to the campaign. The success of this campaign is because of this wonderful community of businesses and individuals coming together. Click the links below to learn more about these sponsors.
Leadership Level Sponsors ($5,000 supporting 20 families): REC Group
Influencer Level Sponsors ($2,500 supporting 10 families): Alpine Bank, Moye White, BayWa r.e., Premier Members Credit Union, Amalgamated Bank, and Studio Shed
Promoter Level Sponsors ($1,000 supporting 4 families): Conscience Bay Company, BSW Wealth Partners, Vermilion Design + Digital, Shirazi Benefits, Plante Moran, IMA Financial Group, Domoto Brands, KUNC, and The Colorado Sound
* The subscriptions provided are not affiliated with projects built by or in benefit of Namasté Solar.
