Where the program stands, and how far it can go
homes with solar installed or contracted about 750 more pre-screened and waiting on funding
A collaborative, not a company
No single organization does this. Habitat for Humanity Virginia administers the Collaborative. Since 2021, GiveSolar has partnered with 15 statewide organizations, and 16 programs are taking part today. GiveSolar was founded in 2018 by Jeff Heie with foundation support. The work itself is done by volunteers, partners and funders.
- The affiliate
- Connects Habitat families to solar opportunities.
- The statewide support organization
- Collaborates with the Solar Collaborative to make solar available to interested affiliates in its state.
- GiveSolar
- Seeks out funding sources to make solar possible on Habitat homes.
- The sponsor
- Helps make solar accessible to hardworking Habitat for Humanity families.
- The family
- Reaps the benefits of generating its own energy and saving money each month.
Every roof gets about five usable hours of sun a day.
- A day
- 18 kWh
- $2.78
- A week
- 127 kWh
- $19.45
- A month
- 550 kWh
- $85
- A year
- 6,600 kWh
- $1,014
One 5 kW system, at GiveSolar's published output and its 2026 average saving of $84.50 a month.
Jasmine Edwards, In Her Own Words
Jasmine Edwards
Habitat homeowner, six-plus years
Her electricity bill used to pass $100 in an ordinary month and reach $250 in peak season. After rooftop solar it settled at $67, a 73 percent drop.
The arithmetic of solar savings
A 5 kW system is 12–14 panels producing 500–600 kilowatt-hours a month.
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| Monthly saving to the family | about $84.50 a month for 2026 |
| Saved over the system's life | $25,000–$30,000 |
| System lifespan | 25–30 years |
| Share of income low-income households spend on energy | 8.6% |
| Greenhouse gas reduction, per system | like planting 150 trees a year |
| Cost to a sponsor, per home | $12,500 per system |
Figures published by GiveSolar. See /impact/ for sources.
Where a donation goes
Your donation helps a hardworking Habitat family get solar on their home, which makes that home more affordable and protects them from rising energy prices. The affiliate has already built the house, so a donation does not pay for that. It closes the one gap that stops an array going on: the difference between a build budget and the cost of the panels.
- $200
- Buys one solar panel. Twelve to fourteen of them make a system.
- $12,500
- Covers a complete system for one home, about 5 kW, saving that family about $84 a month at 2026 rates.
- $500,000
- Starts a statewide solar program, which is how a state goes from no solar on Habitat homes to a standing pipeline of them.
Partners
- Habitat for Humanity Virginia Administers the Solar Collaborative.
- GiveSolar Designs, permits and installs the arrays.
- American Institute of Architects Endorsed the campaign and made a $500,000 carbon-offset donation in February 2023.
- Solar United Neighbors Partner on the two-year project standing up solar programs across Virginia affiliates.
Habitat for Humanity International is not a partner in this program and does not endorse it.
Impact in 16 States
The Solar Collaborative is partnering with state offices and/or affiliates in 16 states.
$200 buys a panel. $12,500 covers a whole system.
$500,000 starts a statewide program. Sponsorships are assigned by build date, so a commitment made now lands on a specific roof with a specific family.