University Park Plans Next Steps for Energy Efficiency

University Park took the first steps to roll out its energy efficiency plan Friday, when the project's advisory committee had its inaugural meeting.

The STEP UP Advisory Committee met to plan how the town might use the $1.4 million energy grant it received earlier this summer from the Department of Energy.

STEP UP, which stands for Sequential, Transformative Energy Project for University Park, is the three-year town project to help homeowners improve energy efficiency in their homes. 

University Park resident Chuck Wilson, who also led the effort to write the grant proposal for the town, said the group is only at the beginning stages of the project.

Wilson said Friday's meeting was a way for the group to start dividing up work and working toward solidifying an action plan.

"It's going to take a couple of months to get everything going," he said. "The official launch for this project will be sometime this autumn."

Some residents have already begun to show interest in the project, especially after new solar panels were placed on the roof of the Church of the Brethren.

"About 30 people have contacted me," Wilson said.

University Park was awarded the Department of Energy grant in June, and in July town officials voted to accept the award. The grant was a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help boost the economy and create jobs.

Wilson said DOE gave University Park the grant because the agency liked the ideas in the proposal and because the town also volunteered to write up a case study and create a template for this project that other towns can follow.

The advisory committee will support the project by helping homeowners identify what could be improved within their homes, help them find contractors and provide information on low-interest loans and tax credits.

One of the first tasks of the town is to find an energy coach, or someone to be the main contact person for anything STEP UP related.

Mayor John Tabori said a selection committee is already receiving applications and that most of September will be spent interviewing candidates.

In the meantime, Wilson is running the advisory committee.

The group will meet again Friday, Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. at town hall. The meeting is open to the public. Any questions about the project can be forwarded to Chuck Wilson at chuckwilson2@gmail.com.