Lenox Offers 'Green' For Going Solar
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The Lenox Unplugged Campaign and the town's Environmental Committee are hosting an information seminar on solar energy and solar installations, and how to apply for the grants, this Monday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 8 at Town Hall.
The Lenox Solar Initiative Launch comes on the heels of an $180,000 grant that the committee received after Lenox was designated a Green Community by the state. The town's Sustainability Coordinator Keith O'Neil said the grant will allow residents who are interested in going solar an added $2,000 incentive to the already generous state and federal solar initiatives.
"This is a great opportunity for residents to put cash back in their pockets," he said in a phone interview. "The $2,000 grants, and monies already offered through state and federal programs, make it very attractive to consider putting a solar installation on their property."
The individual $2,000 (maximum) grants will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis from a pool of roughly $75,000 set aside for the purposes of supplementing solar initiatives in the town.
"This designation as a Green Community allows us access to funding for different kinds of energy conservation," O'Neil said. "We've used the other $100,000 to retrofit municipal buildings and schools among other things."
Green Communities grants are awarded by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. In addition to completing a grant application, towns and cities must meet certain criteria to be considered, including providing locations for renewable energy research and manufacturing, developing plans to reduce baseline energy consumption by 20 percent in five years and purchasing only fuel-efficient vehicles to name a few.
"It's a rigorous commitment," O'Neil said. "And the Town of Lenox is one of only 35 grant communities with this designation."
In addition to Lenox, Pittsfield and Becket were granted green status is the first round of awards; other Berkshire communities, including Adams and North Adams, are pursuing the designation.
In addition to those interested Lenox residents who are considering solar heating or photovoltaics, O'Neil said any Berkshire residents interested in solar use are invited to attend.
"This is a really fantastic opportunity to be able to talk about site feasibility, financial incentives, what kinds of installations are appropriate for what kinds of homes," he said. "There will also be solar vendors there and they can provide information and some consultations."
Presenter Chris Vreeland of Precision Decisions LLC promises to give a soup-to-nuts presentation on the many ins and outs of solar installation, he said, and there will also be solar vendors at the seminar, including Alteris Renewables, Alpine Solar Heat, Berkshire Photovoltaic Services and Sun Energy, as well as the Center for Ecological Technology.
For more information, contact O'Neil at 413-717-1945 or visit www.townoflenox.com/lenoxunplugged.
