Public Power - October 2008 - (Page 37)

light as energy savings tools, and will be built with reclaimed wood and brick, which mostly come from the city debris, according to Steve Hewitt, city administrator. The John Deere and General Motors dealerships are among a several local businesses rebuilding green. The 26,000-square-foot John Deere facility will be built at a LEED platinum rating, Wallach said. Plans include using a pond to catch rainwater for landscaping, installing low-water plumbing fixtures, and generating power for the building using two wind turbines, as well as employing numerous energy efficient features. Heat will come from three sources: waste oil, www.APPAnet.org corn or waste biomass, and natural gas. State universities are also contributing. University of Kansas architecture students built an arts center that is LEED-certified. The building uses reclaimed wood, wind, and solar power. The new Greensburg school, designed by BNIM Architects, based in Kansas City, Mo., will use photovoltaic cells, natural lighting and other energy-efficient features. The U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have been advising the city on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also been involved with state and local officials to provide resources and information for Greensburg’s rebuilding. “The goal is not only to put up highly efficient and cost-effective buildings, but to construct a renewable power generation facility and to establish green industry to bring investment and employment to the community,” said NREL’s Lynn Billman. Many of the 800 current residents are also getting in on the green initiative. “Initially, many of our residents thought they didn’t understand the green concept,” Wallach said. “The important tenants of sustainability, though, are ingrained in the way they live. They are conscious of the natural system and rely on it for their survival and livelihood.” Approximately 150 new homes are under construction, from permitting to near completion. Of those, more than half of the homes have some type of energy efficiency features, including more insulation, energy efficient windows, and tankless or high-efficiency water heaters and other equipment. Residents are also encouraged to orient their homes to the south to make the best use of natural lighting, to reduce water use in toilets and showers and to install geothermal heating and cooling systems. Residents are applying for federal and state grants to help cover costs. Twenty homes will be built for the elderly and low-income residents by Mennonite Housing, which serves those in need. NREL provided information to the organization to help them use green building techniques and use 50 percent less energy, a first for the nonprofit group. The homes, valued at about $100,000, will be built at a cost of $60,000 to each resident because of volunteer labor and discounted materials. “One concern that residents have had is an increase in their property taxes,” Wallach said. “But if they are paying more taxes, it means that their property is worth more and that is a good thing. Growth has generally not been an issue for rural America, it hasn’t posed much of a challenge before.” Billman said some residents were also concerned green building would be more expensive. “There might be an increase up front with the mortgage cost, but they will have lower monthly costs because their energy bills will be lower,” Billman said. Some public housing will also be built green. “A 32-unit town home project with many of the units for low-income seniors is going to be LEED-gold certified and will be very cost-effective,” Billman said. “The town homes should be the first LEED-certified affordable housing project in the state and will save 40 percent of the energy cost compared to building just to code.” The cost to rebuild Greensburg is about $45-65 million, Hewitt said. FEMA will cover about 75 percent of the cost to rebuild public buildings and services. “The state is also providing some money, as well as private philanthropy and corporations,” Wallach said. The city is committed to using 100 percent green energy 100 percent of the time, whenever possible, Wallach said. The difficulty of achieving that goal was apparent During the rebuilding process, Greensburg nearly sold its cityowned electric utility. OCTOBER 2008 37 http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - October 2008

Public Power - October 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World An Energy Revolution Energy Policy in 2009 and Beyond A Green Reincarnation Beyond the Green Bandwagon Reliability Green Energy Community Broadband Customer Service Hometown Connections Human Resources Parting Shot

Public Power - October 2008

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