In Southeast D.C., officials hope newly installed solar panels will help to lower electric bills for hundreds of residents.

This week, DC Green Bank and Flywheel Development announced the closing of a $3.2 million deal to install solar panels on six Fairfax Village condos that are home to 230 residents. They say the deal will cut residents’ electric bills by half.

DC Green Bank, a District initiative that finances clean energy projects, helped to fund the project through $1.7 million in construction loans. Flywheel, a company that installs renewable energy products, is providing $600,000 for the project, and District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility allocated $900,000 from the Solar for All funding.

Solar for All is a program that seeks to add panels to 100,000 low-income families’ homes in D.C. by 2032 as a part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s efforts to create renewable energy sources in the District. These installations in Fairfax Village will reduce nearly 1,000 tons of CO2-equivalent annually, per DC Green Bank. Solar For All did not respond to DCist’s request for comment about how many panels have already been installed.

The solar panels are installed at no cost to building owners, and some buildings will have roof replacements to make the building more energy efficient and durable. DC Green Bank says residents will not be required to leave their homes during roof replacements and solar panel installations.

This is the second phase of solar panel installation at Fairfax Village: Last year, efforts began when the companies installed 222 panels on 35 Fairfax Village buildings, says Gary Decker, external relations partner of DC Green Bank.

Lemuel Walker, Jr., Fairfax Village Community Association President, tells DCist/WAMU that he has helped a few homeowners learn about the energy program. “One senior … shared that the [panels helped] decrease her utility bill and has been a lifesaver,” he says.

This project is also one of many that DC Green Bank hopes to implement in Southeast D.C. Eli Hopson, CEO of DC Green Bank, tells DCist/WAMU that the team is pursuing projects in Wards 7 and 8 that include solar and stormwater management, green infrastructure, and affordable housing, but declined to offer specifics about the projects.

DC Green Bank has also equipped buildings in Ward 4 with solar panels but Fairfax Village will have the most panels that company has installed once the project is complete this August.

“We are blazing a path for other communities to follow to become clean, green, and remain affordable,” Walker says.