♪ It was 2 years ago this month when Eastern Kentucky experienced historic flooding.

Some homeowners in the coal fields are rebuilding with clean and affordable energy in mind as Kentucky additions June Leffler reports in this weather and climate report, a nonprofit out of Whitesburg is helping residents KET up with rising electricity costs by fitting their homes with solar panels.

>> This shallow creek rose to new heights in the flooding of 2022, which devastated more than a dozen eastern Kentucky counties.

The collateral damage included, lowest Thompson's home.

>> The floors start popping up worse.

>> And it just.

>> But the home they're long and I looked up and it looks like my ceiling to work.

>> Stated crop and now.

So I mean, the wind and the long haul.

I want to be able to live in.

>> The non-profit homes is building a new house on the same site as her old house.

>> I never want to live anywhere, but here.

I was born here.

Like my fast, too, used to that year.

>> Holmes gets people into houses of their own for affordable prices and with affordable energy bills.

>> But the utility costs can alone make a house not affordable.

>> Lows Thompson doesn't complain about her previous like bills.

Those rigs cheap enough because she's conservative in her usage.

She knows how to make do this summer.

>> I he fall, but in one I didn't read he found out that couldn't afford that out of so I would allow my front room from the rest of the half and that's the West.

A little.

>> Now she won't have to go without her new home construction in HVAC system are energy efficient and on the roof are solar panels to supply the power she needs.

>> That energy bill should be $21.50 a month.

And when you're on a fixed income and having a new home built, that's a big deal that helps make that home affordable from this loss.

>> I worry about that.

and >> Because with the solo families, then I can do that.

>> Holmes is sold on solar, but it wasn't always that way.

>> In the coal fields we have enjoyed for many generations.

Very, very low rates of energy.

Why is that?

It's because a call the Coles mind here are electric was made by coal and our prices were low.

>> Not so much anymore as the coal industry has declined.

Power companies have struggled and pass the buck to their customers.

The state report shows eastern Kentuckyian served by Kentucky Power Pay the highest electricity costs in the state averaging $188 a month.

That company has sought rate hikes to KET itself profitable while customers have pushed back.

>> With the increased price of electricity.

We have people who who their electric bills are going through the roof and at the same time there, they don't have much money to work with their poor people and poor In as a whole pay a disproportionate amount of their income for their heat.

and cooling.

>> In 2019 homes got its own solar system.

It was so cost-saving that Seth Long KET his neighbors in Letcher County could use solar too.

>> The light just went on.

And I said this struggling community.

I'm trying to pull out you know, the collapse of the coal industry needs this type of service here.

And we've we've we build things we put together.

Things were construction company.

We can figure this out.

>> Holmes install solar for businesses and homeowners in its region, including 5 net 0 energy homes like Lois Thompson's home, but hundreds more homes in Kentucky's Eastern and Western disaster.

Regions could be fit for solar.

Thanks to the federal solar for all grant.

>> So we will work with our disaster housing partners.

To grant them funds where they can then go back and add solar.

Plus storage and was storage.

Because we don't want these homes to ever be in a situation where they're without power again.

So it's their own backup power system.

And adds resilience to those disaster homes.

>> The state is set to receive 62 million dollars from the Environmental Protection Agency this fall for Kentucky edition.

I'm John Leffler.

>> The solar for all grant isn't just going to disaster homes.

It will also help low-income folks in urban areas get solar panels to and it will prop up community solar programs.

That's something we'll show you later this week right here on Kentucky EDITION.