CET offers Solar Energy Seminar

10:16AM / Thursday, October 23, 2008Print Story | Email Story

On Thursday, November 6, the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) will offer a Solar Energy Seminar from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Lenox Town Hall auditorium at 6 Walker Street in Lenox. This seminar is designed for small businesses and institutions, home owners and owners of farms. Check-in begins at 6 p.m. Chris Vreeland, a registered professional engineer, will be the featured speaker.

Advance registration is required and a donation of $10 is suggested. BerkShares are acceptable. To register for the seminar, contact Cynthia Grippaldi at CET (413-445-4556 ext. 25 / cynthiag@cetonline.org).

Unstable fuel prices and economy, as well as concern about the effects of fossil fuels on our health and environment are driving the demand for conservation and local, clean sources of energy, like solar hot water and solar electric. Interest in solar systems for homes, farms, schools and businesses in the Berkshires continues to grow. Grants and tax incentives are available to help offset the cost of investing in solar energy and other renewable technologies.

Under the Commonwealth Solar program, businesses and homeowners will be eligible for rebates of at least $2 per watt or $2000 per kilowatt for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Commercial customers who install a typical 50-kilowatt solar power system can expect to reduce costs by 40 percent. Vreeland will talk about state and federal tax incentives for solar PV and solar hot water systems, and summarize a rebate program offered by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to help homeowners and small businesses pay for renewable energy systems.

This seminar is designed to help homeowners and businesses determine if a solar installation would be a good fit for their situation. Attendees will learn the basics about how solar hot water and solar photovoltaic panels work, the components of a solar energy system, how to determine what size system is needed, whether they have a good site and how to gain additional benefits through energy efficient improvements. Information about local contractors will also be available.

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Pittsfield Housing Projects Get Extra ARPA Boost

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:52PM / Tuesday, March 03, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two affordable housing initiatives are getting $120,000 in leftover American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The Affordable Housing Trust approved the funding on Wednesday to the Westside Legends and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity.

These projects had already been awarded funds from the trust, meaning that they could be allocated after the ARPA deadline. Westside Legends will get an additional $70,000 for an affordable housing project underway at 70 Dewey Ave., and Habitat will see an additional $50,000 for its home build on Curtis Terrace.

Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported that while ARPA projects had to be under contract by December 2025, these were under-contract projects that could use the funds.

"I think our Affordable Housing Trust has really done a good job being a catalyst for improving the housing stock in the city of Pittsfield, and we've got a lot of things happening now in Pittsfield that are close," Trustee Michael McCarthy said.

This includes units coming online from the non-profit and private development sectors.

Habitat CEO Carolyn Valli gave the trust an update on its ARPA-funded effort to build five new affordable homes in Pittsfield. Habitat has completed and sold two homes, two are ready for sale, and one home is under construction with the help of Taconic High School career technical education students.

This includes condos at 112 Robbins Ave., units A and B, and 21 and 23 Murphy Place. The stick-built project at 37 Curtis Terrace has run into some delays, and the additional ARPA monies will fund upgrades to the heating system.

The total projected cost to build the five units is nearly $2.2 million, and the affordable mortgages are expected to total about $1,036,000. Valli recognized that there is a significant gap, and said the money Pittsfield invested was "really impactful, and we hope that you'll be able to give us a little bit more cash in order to be able to close that gap a little bit more."

iBerkshires attended the open house at Murphy Place, which offers three-bedroom and one-bathroom homes in a condominium style for about $1,700 per month. All Habitat homes include a washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove, over-the-counter microwave, and dishwasher.

The condos will be sold to families earning between 50 percent and 65 percent of the area median income, which ranges between $49,150 and $63,895 for a family of two and $66,350 and $86,255 for a family of five. A monthly payment of $1,673 will cover the principal and interest, property taxes, and home insurance. There is a monthly HOA fee on top of that.

Valli reported that they have had more than 600 pre-screening applications between the Pittsfield project and the Great Barrington project, called the Prosperity Way Community.

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