Renewable Energy at Cardinal View Senior Living

Solar energy is expected to power over 20% of the electricity used by a new senior community located on the north end of the City of Middleton. Cardinal View Senior Living is a 4-story, 139,000 sf project with 103 apartments for seniors. The solar array covers the majority of the roof and went live during April. The community will open in September.

Solar energy is economical for many building types, especially those with a large amount of electric equipment and those that are continuously occupied day and night. Multiple available incentives, often in the form of rebates or tax credits, make the initial investment pay off in a reasonable amount of time adding financial reasons to the environmental aspects.

The investment in solar energy at Cardinal View Senior Living has a payback period of about five years. The 20-year rate of return on the energy investment is approximately 18%. The system is expected to produce over 175,000 kWh of electricity, enough to offset the electrical usage of 15 average homes. Another aspect to consider is the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which equals about 100,000 miles not driven.