Photo by Dana Amihere. University Park fourth-grader Chloe Widman, 9, describes how sealant for air leakage and insulation can help a home save energy.

Published on: Thursday, February 02, 2012

By Dana Amihere

Prince George’s County officials announced Saturday plans to install a solar array at University Park Elementary School, the first federally-funded solar project of its kind on a county public school.

The news came during University Park’s community energy fair, which attracted about 300 local residents and marked the one-year anniversary the Small Town Energy Program’s (STEP-UP) implementation.

“I feel that the younger that our children are that we instill in them the power to save the environment and what we need to do to conserve energy the better,”  said Amber Waller, Board of Education member for District 3.

University Park Elementary fourth-grader Chloe Widman, 9, remarked on the educational aspect of STEP-UP in her school. Widman said her class learned about recycling, how to use a kilowatt meter to detect energy hogs around the school and about “vampire energy,” energy lost when things plugged directly into the wall are turned off. Widman explained her energy awareness has translated to her home life.

“As soon as I got home I started turning off lights and opening window for fresh air,” Widman said.

Superintendent of Schools William Hite echoed the importance of using the classroom as a “laboratory” to train youth as a generation of good environmental stewards.

The University Park Elementary solar array will provide 50 kilowatts of clean energy, enough electricity to fulfill the needs of “at least seven families of four,” according to estimates by real estate trade publication The Cooperator.

STEP-UP is the result of a three-year $1.42 million Better Buildings Neighborhood Program grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy purposed at improving energy efficiency by 20 percent in 20 percent of University Park homes. In the first year, 22 percent of University Park residents had their homes assessed for energy efficiency, and 10 percent completed energy-saving improvements such as air sealing, better insulation and updated appliances.

Participation in STEP-UP is two-fold: a whole-house energy audit and recommended improvements based on an audit report by an approved contractor. Town energy coach Suzanne Parmet is available to help homeowners through the process, such as explaining the financial rebates and incentives available to defray the costs.

STEP-UP is currently working with Sandy Spring Bank to provide low-interest financing plans for home improvements.

“It’s a really good time (to make your home more energy efficient). A hundred bucks buys you in for a $400 audit, plus 50 percent off home improvements. It’s a good deal,” said Tony Crane, co-owner of Efficient Home, an approved Energy Star home performance contractor and one of 35 STEP-UP home assessment firms and efficiency contractors.

Stan Daberkow, a University Park resident since 1976, said his “leaky old house” built in 1930 is “pretty energy inefficient house by a lot of standards today.”

But when his air conditioning went out several years ago and he considered his 15-year-old furnace, 20-year-old hot water heater and the fact his home’s ceilings only had 1/20th the recommended amount of insulation, Daberkow said he thought, “This might be a good time to get an energy audit.”

Though his energy audit predated STEP-UP, Daberkow’s improvements to his ceilings and ongoing acquisition of new, energy-efficient appliances were offset by subsidies offered by the town, Pepco and Maryland Energy Administration.

According to Chuck Wilson, STEP-UP program director who was instrumental in the initial grant proposal, the average annual household savings include $375 utility bill reduction and 15 percent energy reduction overall.

This isn’t the first time University Park residents have soaked up the sun to reduce energy consumption. In May 2010, the for-profit community project University Park Solar installed 99 photovoltaic panels on the University Park Church of the Brethren in exchange for lower rates from Pepco.

University Park Mayor John Rogard Tabori touted STEP-UP’s first-year energy savings were equivalent to a 100-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, approximately the same amount of energy contained in 1.2 gasoline tanker trucks or a half a railcar of coal.

“Not bad for the first year of a project in a town of less than 1,000 homes,” Tabori said, but “the impressive savings are just the tip of the iceberg.”

STEP-UP, according to the Department of Energy, was developed as toolkit for an “energy transformation program,” which could be put in place in other small towns across the country.

Next steps include expansion of the program to neighboring College Heights Estates, Riverdale Park and Hyattsville.

Hyattsville already has sustainability policy in place to reduce the city government’s carbon footprint, and it supports a program that would bring that to the citizens as well, said Hyattsville Mayor Marc Tartaro.

With a competitive spirit, Tartaro joked, “If University Park is at 22 percent we can set a goal to do better.”

Expansion of a 50-household compost pilot program that could launch as soon as next year, pending approval from the town council, is also in the works, Wilson said. Through STEP-UP’s current efforts 2.1 tons of compost has already been diverted from landfills.

In his remarks, state Sen. Paul Pinsky, a University Park resident, said STEP-UP makes him proud to be a part of the community.

“We’re trying to do what we can in Annapolis, and you’re doing things here on the ground,” he said.