The Greening of Family House

By Ed Moy

Over the past few months, resident managers of Family House have been working to create a "green" facility.

With assistance from the SF Department of the Environment and the SF Public Utilities Commission, Family House has undergone energy and water audits to improve energy efficiency and conserve water in order to become designated as a San Francisco "green business."

Family House's plans include the addition of low-flow toilets, shower heads and sink fixtures, along with replacing older light fixtures, using more organic cleansing products and composting and recycling to reduce trash waste. Future incentives include determining the feasibility of solar panels on both family houses, located near Irving Street and Fifth Avenue.

"It's been a natural progression over the last few years," said Irving Street Family House Operations Director Paul Goold, of the move towards being a "green" business.

Founded in 1981, Family House is a not-for-profit organization providing temporary housing for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Children's Hospital. Qualifying families live more than 50 miles from UCSF, and many live at or below low-income status as determined by the university.

According to Family House, the two locations sustain nearly a 100 percent occupancy rate and can accommodate 107 people per night. Over the course of a year, more than 2,000 families are served. Family House is an independent organization led by a professional staff and board of directors dedicated to providing residential services free-of-charge to qualifying families. They receive no financial support from UCSF, or any other public entity, and rely solely on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations.

According to Lowell Chu, an environmental specialist for the Department of the Environment, Family House took advantage of the San Francisco Energy Watch, Multi-family Plus program. The program, a local government partnership with PG&E, provides a no-cost, on-site, energy assessment for all multi-family buildings in San Francisco.

Included in the audit checklist of assessments were the lighting, insulation, weatherstripping and appliances used in the home. For the water audit, assessments included toilets and shower heads, which SF Energy Watch recommends switching from standard heads to two gallons per minute or less heads.

Chu stated that based on the results of an assessment and the resultant recommendations, the program provides financial incentives for the owner/tenant to implement a diverse array of energy efficiency measures in areas including, but not limited to, lighting and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.

"If they implement the lighting recommendations and water recommendations they will save on both electric and water bills," Chu said. "They can walk away knowing they have left a smaller carbon footprint."

A "Siamese" program serving the city's businesses is called the San Francisco Energy Watch's Commercial Plus. By completing the audits, Family House also took the prerequisite steps towards joining the Solar Energy Incentive Program, which provides solar installation cash incentives ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 for San Francisco residents and up to $10,000 for businesses and nonprofits. The solar rebate program is considered the largest of its kind to be offered by a city, and the city's solar map program continues to help San Francisco residents and businesses identify the solar potential of their dwellings and buildings.

Additionally, beginning in April, San Francisco Energy Watch will expand to include a highly specialized, robust incentive program directly targeting small local businesses. The program will serve as a catalyst to jump start energy-efficiency in small San Francisco businesses, while reducing their financial burden. All interested multi-family owners/occupants and business owners are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this free service.

The on-site energy assessment can be scheduled by calling (415) 355-3738. For more information about Family House, call (415) 476-8321.