Over 250 Communities Nationwide Designated SolSmart

SolSmart has surpassed a historic milestone! Over 250 municipalities, counties, and regional organizations have received a SolSmart designation for making it faster, easier, and more affordable to install solar locally. The 250th designation, earned by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, was among a flurry of over 25 communities designated in past few months.

As of today, there are 265 SolSmart designees across 37 states and the District of Columbia that represent 71 million Americans. Recent designees include San Francisco, California; Miramar, Florida; and St. Anthony Village, Minnesota. Illinois now leads the nation with 41 SolSmart designees, followed by California (26 designees), Colorado (21 designees), Florida (20 designees), Minnesota (19 designees), Massachusetts (14 designees), Texas (11 designees), and Missouri (10 designees). Across the country, recent SolSmart communities have taken bold actions to become more resilient, sustainable, and attractive to solar businesses that can drive job growth and economic development. Here are a few highlights:

• The city of Miami Beach, Florida, offers PACE financing and local incentives for solar PV to community members.
• Lake County, Illinois, adopted zoning ordinance language to make solar a by-right accessory use and is leading an effort to develop a model solar zoning code for the jurisdictions within the County.
• The Metropolitan Council in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission in the Northern Virginia region became the first two regional organizations to receive SolSmart designation for achievements in expanding solar across multiple communities.
• The city of Rockford, Illinois, achieved SolSmart Gold designation with 410 points, which ranks among the top 15 communities nationally in terms of points achieved. The City received special recognition for its achievement of more than 60% of the available points in the Permitting and Community Engagement categories.

Home Innovation Research Labs has been honored to be a part of the SolSmart team, providing technical support and guidance to the program. If you’re interested in learning more about SolSmart technical assistance or the designation process, request a no-cost consultation today.

ABOUT: Home Innovation Research Labs, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., is a full-service research, testing, and consulting firm determined to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of single- and multifamily homes and home building products – in short, we aim to perfect the home. Founded in 1964 as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), our team has been integral in solving many of our client’s most difficult product and technology issues, and helping to introduce some of the most groundbreaking innovations in construction. Through an interdisciplinary research approach – including market research, building science analysis, laboratory testing, and standards development – we help to find a home for innovation in the construction industry.

NOTE TO EDITORS ON STYLE USAGE: To identify this company and its work correctly, first reference should be "Home Innovation Research Labs." In subsequent mentions, “Home Innovation” should be used; we are not identified by an acronym. Prior to February 12, 2013, the company was known as the NAHB Research Center.