Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority

HGIA is proud to announce that it has been selected for a $62,450,000 award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar for All (SFA) program.

Through its inclusive on-bill financing program, HGIA will launch its SFA-HI program to reduce the energy burden for low-income households and disadvantaged communities by financing the installation of solar+storage systems on single family dwellings and multi-family rental projects.

As Solar for All Hawaii is funded through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar for All (SFA) program, participant eligibility is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 14008. “Eligible” households must meet SFA grant requirements as one of the following:

• •       Low and moderate-income households in eligible CEJST or EPA EJScreen Identified Census Tracts. Please find instructions on identifying whether a household’s address is within an eligible census tract here. A list of CEJST and EJScreen Census Tracts can be found here. To identify which census tract a particular address is located in, please visit the US Census website here. Eligible maps are:

 

1.     Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). The methodology of this tool is available at this webpage: census tracts must meet at least one of eight categories of burden. Each category of burden includes a socioeconomic burden threshold and environmental burden threshold. Both burden thresholds must be met or exceeded to qualify. Alternatively, a census tract that is completely surrounded by disadvantaged communities may qualify if it is at least at the 50th percentile for low-income households. An unofficial copy of the CEJST map is available on the Public Environmental Data Partners repository here. Public Environmental Data Partners is a coalition of environmental, justice and policy organizations including the Boston University and Harvard University Schools for Public Health, the Enbironmental Data and Governance Initiative, and the Open Environmental Data Project. This link is not an official county, state, or federal government website, and is not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. This link is strictly provided for reference.

2.     Low and moderate-income households in eligible  EPA EJScreen Census Tracts. An unofficial copy of the EJScreen map is available on the Public Environmental Data Partners repository here. Public Environmental Data Partners is a coalition of environmental, justice and policy organizations including the Boston University and Harvard University Schools for Public Health, the Enbironmental Data and Governance Initiative, and the Open Environmental Data Project. This link is not an official county, state, or federal government website, and is not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. This link is strictly provided for reference.

•      OR Individuals currently approved for assistance from or participation in at least one of the following income based or income-verified federal assistance programs, with an award letter within the last 12 months:

Eligible Program	Program Information	Sample Award Letter
US Department of Health and Human Services Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program/Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program	Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov)	HHEAP/LIHEAP Eligibility Letter
US Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program	Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)	SNAP Eligibility Letter
US Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program	Weatherization Assistance Program | Department of Energy	Weatherization Assistance Program Eligibility Letter
USDA’s National School Lunch Program	National School Lunch Program | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)	National School Lunch Eligibility Letter
US Social Security Administration’s Supplemental Security Income	Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | SSA	SSI Eligibility Letter

Note:  Moderate-income households outside of the CEJST-Identified Census Tracts or EPA EJ Screen census tracts are not eligible for financing. Individuals may qualify based on their census tract or their eligible participation in one of the six programs listed above. An eligible participant in one of the programs listed above may qualify for SFA-HI regardless of whether their census tract is EJScreen or CEJST eligible. Likewise, a participant in an EJScreen or CEJST-eligible census tract may qualify regardless of their participation in one of the listed programs.

Another eligible category is: Multifamily housing with rents not exceeding 30% of 80% AMI for at least half of residential units and with an active affordability covenant from one of the following federal or state housing assistance programs: (1) Low-Income Housing Tax Credit; (2) a housing assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including Public Housing, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, Section 811 Housing for Disabled, Housing Trust Fund, Home Investment Partnership Program Affordable Rental and Homeowner Units, Permanent Supportive Housing, and other programs focused on the goal of ending homelessness funded under HUD’s Continuum of Care Program; and (3) a housing assistance program administered by USDA under Title V of the Housing Act of 1949, including under Sections 514 and 515.

In addition to an estimated 20% bill savings, master metered units require a property owner to attest that they will provide at least one of the following benefits to their tenants:

Job training and workforce development	A combination of social services, community supports, job training and/or education that positions an individual for success in the workforce. These services exclude any cash benefits, reimbursements, stipends, or gift cards to a family
Additional support staff	Hiring of additional staff to serve residents and/or building needs. Examples include resident services staff, building security guards, leasing specialists, maintenance staff, etc.
Facility upgrades	Improvements to the building and/or its grounds. Examples include energy efficiency upgrades, playgrounds, community gardens, renovation, bike racks, etc.
Free or reduced cost high-speed internet service	Free Wi-Fi provided throughout the building and/or in common areas or the owner negotiates Wi-Fi services for the building and the residents are offered a discounted service
Wellness programs and services	Wellness programs and services provided to residents as a preventive measure to help avoid illness while improving and maintaining general health. These services exclude any cash benefits, reimbursements, stipends, or gift cards to a family
Shuttle services	Free shuttle services for residents can include a variety of paratransit services that use small buses or vans to provide shared mobility services. These services exclude any cash benefits, reimbursements, stipends, or gift cards to a family
Community events and/or support for resident associations	Hosting events for residents and/or providing financial support for resident associations. These services exclude any cash benefits, reimbursements, stipends, or gift cards to a family.
Increased operating or replacement reserves for the property	Accounts established by property owners to pay for operating and/or large property expenses like long-term major repairs and unexpected expenses, like emergencies.
Resilience center	Creation or designation of a space to provide critical services during a power outage and/or a weather-induced extreme event. Examples include community facilities for cooling or heating during periods of extreme heat or cold and access to refrigeration, power to charge devices, and telecommunications during a power outage.
Non-monetary donations	Non-monetary, in-kind donations, such as food, clothing, or toiletries.

SFA-HI’s Green Energy Money $aver Product Terms will be as follows:

Eligible Participant (ratepayer)	See above
Interest Rate	4.99%, fixed
Loan Term:	Up to 25 years (based on manufacturer’s warranty)
Minimum Estimated Bill Savings Required:	20% throughout the loan term
Eligible Technologies:	Energy efficiency (must also install solar PV); Solar PV & Energy Storage Systems
Repayment:	On-bill. Kauai – Direct billed.  Financing will be limited to only low-income housing tax credit multifamily projects.
Geographic Requirements:	City & County of Honolulu; County of Maui; County of Hawaii and County of Kauai (limited to only low-income housing tax credit multifamily projects).
Other conditions:	Except for the terms outlined above, all other terms and conditions under HGIA’s Green Energy Money $aver On-bill Financing program applies.

SFA funds may also be used to finance residential-serving community solar projects with up to 5 MW nameplate capacity, that delivers at least 50% of the power generated from the system to multiple residential customers within the same utility territory.

The SFA-HI program may also support community outreach, technical assistance and workforce development.

The Award has been finalized. HGIA will begin accepting applications when its new portal is launched.

For more information and updates, please continue to check HGIA’s website and visit EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction portal here: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Landing Page

Note: This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 84091801 to HGIA. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the Environmental Protection Agency endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document, as well as any images, video, text, or other content created by generative artificial intelligence tools, nor does any such content necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency