Last Saturday, ten courageous volunteers braved a rainy early- autumn morning to hand out energy-saving toolkits to residents in Elliott, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s West End. Luckily for us, the weather cleared up, the community was very receptive, and we handed out a total of 187 bags, making this one of the most successful blitzes PennFuture has organized over the past five years.The collective energy savings from utilizing the contents of the bag (which includes CFL and LED light bulbs, LED night lights, smart power strips, window caulk, and more) is more than 730,000 pounds of CO2. That’s like taking 70 cars off the road or planting 8,546 trees. We are very grateful to the volunteers who helped accomplish this feat, to Chipotle Mexican Grill for nourishing our hard workers, and to Elliott Community Group for their support in organizing the event.
Sad you missed the Elliot Blitz? The following program summaries outline additional ways you can reduce your carbon footprint while helping to clean up Allegheny County's air.
Duquesne Light Home Energy Audit Program
Duquesne Light recently launched its Whole House Energy Audit Program (WHEAP), which provides a rebate for residential customers in single-family homes who get a professional audit of their home’s energy use. A typical home energy audit costs around $400 but this program allows you to get the same detailed analysis for only $149 after taking advantage of Duquesne Light’s Watt Choices $250 rebate. Further, if you meet the income-eligibility guidelines, you will receive the audit at no cost. Ensuring your house is properly insulated, installing efficient lighting, and that heating/cooling systems are functioning correctly will help you save money and reduce your energy use.
GTECH Healthy Homes
Looking to retrofit your home in order to make it more energy efficient? As part of its Healthy Homes Incentive Program (HHIP), GTECH Strategies is providing an additional $2,500 for home energy efficiency investments once you spend $5,000 or more. By being able to delve even deeper into energy improvements, you can ensure that your home is performing with the utmost quality and efficiency. GTECH’s terrific team will be there to help identify your needs, guide you through the energy efficiency marketplace, and help you choose a financing option that works for you.
Allegheny County Health Department – Wood Stove Bounty Collection event
Calling all Allegheny County residents who are owners of uncertified wood stoves or wood-fired boilers! You can get some ca$h by recycling your old appliances next Saturday, September 27 from 1-4pm at the Wave Pool Parking Lot, Boyce Park. The Allegheny County Health Department is organizing the collection event and they're offering $200 gift cards in exchange for uncertified wood stoves and $500 cash incentives for non-Phase-II compliant outdoor wood-fired boilers. In order to participate, you need to register in advance and be able to deliver and unload the stoves or boilers on your own.
Take advantage of these programs if you can and, if you can't, make sure you're using CFL light bulbs or, better yet, LEDs at home. The less energy we use, the less we need to generate.
Nicole Catino is PennFuture's 2014 Student Conservation Association Green Cities Sustainability Fellow and is based in Pittsburgh.
