Rural southwest Georgia community homes receive free, energy-efficient appliance upgrades thanks to nonprofit led by Stacey Abrams

DESOTO – This small, rural city encompasses about 510 acres, has a population of about 130 and a house count of about 116. 

As of Friday night, about 75% of these homes were outfitted with brand new, energy-efficient appliances that cost residents nothing. 

This was all thanks to a project called “Vitalizing DeSoto,” an initiative from Rewiring America, a nonprofit that promotes the widespread adoption of electric appliances and technologies in homes across the U.S. This work in DeSoto was championed by Georgia politician Stacey Abrams.

Abrams said choosing a town with DeSoto’s demographics was intentional.

“It was important to me in the theme of picking communities across the country to look at areas that would be the most overlooked … when it comes to issues of climate action and electrification,” she said. 

Rural communities are often isolated from resources and made up of older homes. There is far from an available work force to do the kind of work Rewiring America does. DeSoto also is largely black and Hispanic, and Abrams said rural communities of color have these issues multiplied. 

By upgrading DeSoto residents’ appliances, not only did Rewiring America make a more energy-efficient community with decreased utility costs, but they also provided modern, working appliances to many homes that had gone so long without. 

Rewiring America also partnered with Georgia Power’s Energy Assistance for Savings & Efficiency Program, which offers free energy efficiency improvements to those with an economic need, as well as Kennesaw-based Air Force One HVAC company.

Part of this project’s mission is to help everyday people understand what is possible through funding from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which made the single-largest investment in climate and energy in American history. 

Rewiring America is a nonprofit that receives philanthropic funding to complete its projects. It creates public campaigns and projects, like the DeSoto one, to inform about incentives like IRA tax credits, which include programs specifically designed to support home electrification.

Georgia is one of the states that accepted these federal dollars through the state rebate program. Abrams said she hopes that the DeSoto demonstration becomes proof that encourages other areas in the state and country to utilize these funds. 

“This is an opportunity for real people to see direct benefit and to save money,” Abrams said. “When you are a community that’s struggling over every dollar, having your power bill cut in half can be life-altering. It is my hope that we recognize that irrespective of any political ideology, the cost to our communities to not have access is too great, and we should do our best to make certain they can take advantage of what’s possible.”

While the DeSoto community has made history on a large scale, on the small scale its residents are just happy to have cool air, warm water and heated homes. 

Meet the faces of “Vitalizing DeSoto”

Peaceful, safe, and loving are the words DeSoto residents use to describe their small community. 

“Everybody knows everybody,” DeSoto Mayor James Cutts said. “When someone gets sick … any kind of hardship, the whole neighborhood pitches in to help.” 

Because of this closeness, many residents have never left, including husband and wife Ray and Elizabeth Holloway. The 62-year-old high school sweethearts received a brand new HVAC system from Rewiring America in the home they own.

Rewiring America surveyed each of the homes that agreed to participate in the project to decide which appliance would best support their needs. The goal was that, although each household wouldn’t receive the same thing, they all got something.

However, Ray Holloway said he was unsure about the program at first.

“I was skeptical,” he said. “My wife had to convince me. When I found out we could save money and it would cool down quicker, I was all in.”

Ray Holloway said his family’s previous HVAC unit was old and needed repairs on a yearly basis. It was a money drain both in repair costs and monthly bills. Elizabeth Holloway said it was noisy – rattling and squealing.

The Holloways’ new unit is as peaceful as the DeSoto community they describe.

Their 42-year-old son, Trimel Holloway, got a new water heat pump at his residence. Before, he said, his hot water would cut out frequently before showering and washing was complete while also being costly. Trimel Holloway said he’s already noticed his bill decreasing. More than personal gain, he said he’s happy to see his community impacted overall. 

“There are people right now, in the snow week where we had single-digits (temperatures), that are using their heat this season that didn’t turn it on last season,” Trimel Holloway said. “They were worried, ‘If I turn the heater on, will I be able to get my prescriptions … will I be able to buy groceries?’”

Siblings Otis Jones, 61, and Carlyn Jones, 69, call DeSoto the “best place to live,” and for them, it just got better. 

Carlyn Jones said when she moved into her home, it didn’t have any sort of heating or air conditioning unit. She’d gone 18 years without one, relying on propane-fueled space heaters to keep her warm, until Rewiring America installed an HVAC unit. 

Otis Jones also received a new HVAC unit.

“Oh man, it’s wonderful,” he said. “The house is so warm now. We got all that snow – man, were they right on time.” 

Evie Bauman, Rewiring America’s director of Community Implementation, said she was surprised to see how many heating and cooling devices in peoples’ homes were not working at all or simply nonexistent. 

“I think we were underestimating the amount of space heaters or supplemental devices people were using to heat and cool their homes,” she said. 

The experience in DeSoto also taught Rewiring America the importance of residence education throughout the process – not only learning about energy efficiency and available funding but also simple things like how to adjust a thermostat. 

“It was really just making sure that we’re doing a good job along the way of keeping the resident in the loop and fully informed,” Bauman said.

A key piece in how Rewiring America connected with DeSoto residents was through hiring a local figurehead as the project manager. While Abrams was pitching this project to DeSoto’s mayor, she met Rosemary Jones, and Jones ended up being the cornerstone of “Vitalizing DeSoto.” 

Jones was born and raised in the small town and now lives just outside it in Leslie, and she knows “everything about everyone.” Shortly after pitching the project to Cutts, Abrams hopped in the car with Jones who gave her a guided tour of the 500-acre town. 

“I was the boots on the ground,” Jones said. “Having me as one of the people made it more personal because people trusted me and already knew me.” 

Jones helped DeSoto’s residents fill out program applications, explained difficult-to-understand parts of the project and became the point of contact for questions about the project. 

At a Friday event celebrating the success of the project, Jones said it was her pleasure serving DeSoto.

“This is my home, too,” she said. “We are family. When you’re blessed, I’m blessed.”

Jones said driving or walking down a neighborhood street in DeSoto meant you’d see people fanning themselves on porches or seeking relief from hot temperatures with open windows. 

“Now, you can go down the street, and you don’t see anyone out and about,” she said with a chuckle. “Now, they can be cool and comfortable in their homes.”

She said DeSoto’s residents now see a brighter side – that people will come and bless you, even in the smallest of corners.

Rewiring America’s Bauman said once the organization’s wrapped up, the rest of its demonstration projects like DeSoto’s, it’ll be looking for new places to launch this work.