As part of President Obama’s American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, a $3.2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy was issued to Montgomery County as a means for improving energy efficiency in county buildings. The grant is part of a larger block grant “available to cities, counties, territories and tribes across the nation to support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, develop and implement advanced building codes and inspections, and create financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements.”

Montgomery County has already proven itself in this regard by committing to the initiative of reducing energy consumption and water use by 5% since 2004, and has remodeled its buildings to use more energy conservative alternatives. The effort was worth it and the county won several awards and saved thousands of dollars in energy costs.

According to County Judge Alan B. Sadler, the county has saved $40,000 in electrical costs every year since the initiative was launched in the administration building alone, simply by replacing all of the ballasts and lights, reimbursing the costs for the project within 15 months.

The main outlet for the grant will be to replace air conditioning units and light fixtures in up to 15 county facilities. The old A/C units contain Freon, a material hazardous to the earth’s ozone layer, and energy consumption is expected to be reduced at least 20% for every building.

This is only a start for Montgomery County, as seen by its initiative launched five years ago. The federal grant will help to aid the county in its energy transformation in terms of funding, but it needs no other motivational push to meet its goals.

The residents of Graystone Hills can also help support the county by contributing to energy conservation and saving money. Visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s energy-saving tips page for all the information you can use to improve your neighborhood.

Source: Houston Chronicle