Published: March 24, 2008 04:19 pm         

County residents examine area's energy situation

Negative situations can be used to find positive solutions to problems. Just ask participants in the first Crossville Energy and Sustainability Initiative workshop held Thursday, who saw opportunities in the current drought, era of soaring energy costs and the housing market slump.

"One of the biggest opportunities we have right now is the cost of fuel and the fact water is in short supply," said Don Alexander, director of the Crossville Housing Authority. "If those two things hadn't happened, we wouldn't be sitting in this room right now. If the price of oil dropped to $30 a barrel, we wouldn't be having this conversation because no one would be interested."

The Crossville Energy and Sustainability Initiative is an effort by the city of Crossville, working with area citizens and groups and the University of Tennessee Master of Science in Planning program. The goal is to develop public policy that will foster energy efficiency in the community, both in government, business and industry and individual homes.

"The purpose of these workshops is to have you, the citizens, decide among yourselves in a collaborative discussion and conversation, what a sustainable energy profile should look like in Crossville," said Edward Jepson, assistant professor in the MSP program. "What are the steps, what are the approaches, we can take in Crossville to make ourselves more energy efficient and take us away from a dependence on fossil fuels?"

Participants divided into two groups to discuss commercial and industrial energy sustainability and residential and municipal energy sustainability. Groups identified assets in the community, potential opportunities and barriers to comprehensive energy sustainability policy. Assets included a number of local nonprofit organizations, civic groups and service organizations active in the community that could help lead energy initiatives and education efforts.

One such group is Cumberland County Habitat for Humanity, which is building more energy efficient homes.

Bill Bates, with Habitat, said the organization had started building homes with 6-inch exterior walls, instead of 4-inch walls. This leads to energy savings on heating and cooling for the life of the home.

But, others commented, upfront costs for that and other design features could be a barrier to some builders.

Bates said, "It costs approximately $250 to $300 per home more. But they can save 10 percent a year on energy."

Other community assets included Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified architects, a pro-active mayor, the Crossville Housing Authority, the local business community, energy-conscious industries, a recycling center, energy-conscious citizens and utility cooperatives and districts.

The CHA is switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs in its housing. This not only saves money on utility costs, but also on maintenance because the bulbs last much longer. CHA also uses thermal pane windows and energy efficient appliances.

The city's wastewater treatment plant is also looking at upgrades in the next few years that will increase automation and increase efficiency. Clark Annis with Veolia Water noted the city worked with local manufacturers, most notably Crossville, Inc. and Stonepeak, with pre-treatment wastewater plants that allows them to reuse wastewater in the manufacturing process.

Some participants pointed to the housing market slump and the lending crisis, saying lenders would be taking a closer look at utility costs before approving loans. This could encourage more efficient building practices and conservation on the part of the homeowner.

Barriers to energy sustainability included up-front costs and a lack of incentives, at the local, state and national level, for residents to change their energy habits. And, while there are government grant and rebate programs for municipal or commercial projects, very little help was available for the average citizen seeking to reduce their energy use.

Theodore Polczynski said, "There's grants for solar energy for commercial projects, but not for me. The legislature is not thinking of me."

Louise Gorenflo said, "Energy efficiency is not free. But, it's difficult to justify if you're going to put in a large amount of money saying you're going to save money over time."

Gorenflo suggested the state or the Tennessee Valley Authority institute Public Benefit Funds, which are funds pooled from a millage on utility bills used for public energy products.

Education is another barrier. Twenty years ago, noted Ken Taylor, information on how to conserve energy and the importance of conservation was easily accessible.

"I remember when I was younger, energy conservation was a big deal. You were bombarded with public announcements, television promos; now, it seems to have petered out," Taylor said.

Beth Blair, a new resident, noted there were many products available, such as alternative fuel furnaces for homes, but information about the products was difficult to obtain. And, others said, many energy-efficient products are not available locally.

"I've looked it up online, but I wouldn't know which one is the right one to get, or even where to begin," Blair said. "I can go to the Internet, but I can only learn so much there."

This is the first of three workshops being hosted as part of the CESI program. The next is set for March 27 at 6 p.m. at Stone Memorial High School. You do not have to attend all of the sessions to take part in the process. The next workshop will build on the work completed at the first work shop as students look through information provided and participants work on action plans. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate.

The CESI is being supported by the Crossville Chronicle, Crossville Housing Authority, Cumberland Business Incubator, Cumberland County Board of Education, Cumberland Sustainable Energy Association, First National Bank of Tennessee, Veolia Water and Volunteer Energy Cooperative.