At Pacifica Senior Living being environmentally friendly and going green are part of our core values. March 26th marks the day of Earth Hour, when millions of individuals, communities and businesses around the world switch off their light in a gesture of solidarity for our planet Earth, and make a promise to continue to find green power alternatives.
We are proud to say Pacifica Senior Living is doing our part to reduce our energy use and promote sustainable alternatives.
In 2021 many of our communities went solar, making the switch to a more Earth conscious form of energy. Solar energy reduces pollution and emissions as it is a fossil-fuel-free form of energy. This means it produces energy simply by absorbing the natural energy of the sun, rather than by burning coal, oil, or fuels which can create harmful fumes and gasses.
Solar energy usually uses panels - typically installed on the roof of a building - to capture sunlight. From there, the energy is used to create electricity which can power our communities. Solar energy is a great way to go green because the power of the sun is essentially endless - it is constantly producing heat and light that we can convert into energy.
Many of our communities already run on solar power, while others are in the process of installing solar panel systems. In 2021, Pacifica invested over 2 million dollars into five of our communities: Pacifica Senior Living Vista, Pacifica Senior Living Modesto, Alta Vista Senior Living, Pacifica Senior Living Santa Barbara, The Meridian at Anaheim Hills and Valley Crest Senior Living in order to help these communities lower their energy use and support green initiatives.
The main focus of these improvements were installing Solar PhotoVoltaic systems which allow these properties to run on sustainable solar energy.
Several of our other communities are also in the process of installing or converting to solar energy sources. Pacifica Senior Living Forest Trace, Pacifica Senior Living Hemet, Pacifica Senior Living Bakersfield, Pacifica Senior Living Heritage Hills and Pacifica Senior Living Skylyn are all in the process of converting to greener energy sources, an ongoing project worth over 3 million dollars.
We have also committed to investing an additional 5 million in upcoming scheduled projects at thirteen other communities across the country.
As well as using solar power, Pacifica is dedicated to switching to other sustainable methods and resources. Using energy efficient bulbs - like LED light bulbs - can also reduce power usage and increase efficiency.
Not only can this lower energy costs, but it makes sure our communities are running smoothly while using only the amount of power they need. Many of our communities have undergone LED retrofits to switch out older lighting systems for new, greener options.
We have also installed smart water flow devices which help to cut down on excess water use which is especially important in areas where droughts are common, such as California. We use an energy benchmarking and reporting system to target the best ways we can reduce our impact on the environment, and make a switch into greener living.
At Pacifica we are serious about going green and using more energy efficient resources. Come visit your local community to see all the changes we have already made.