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For Immediate Release Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Energy-Efficient, Environmentally-Friendly Solar Hot Water Systems Installed in
Low-Income Homes in Northeast Denver
Qualifying Homes Received Systems Free of Charge
CONTACT: Christopher Dann,
Public Information Officer
Air Pollution Control Division
(303) 692-3281
DENVER – Fourteen homes in two low-income neighborhoods in the
northeast Denver area have been retrofitted with solar hot water systems
designed to save money and reduce air pollution, thanks to a grant provided by
the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the not-for-profit
StEPP Foundation.
Boulder’s Center for ReSource Conservation and Golden’s
Industrial Solar Technology received $90,000 to install the systems in the homes
in the Montbello and Sunnyside neighborhoods. Each home was equipped with solar
panels, a storage tank and a drainback system to supplement the existing natural
gas water heating system.
“We are pleased to be able to contribute to such a worthy
effort,” said Douglas H. Benevento, executive director of the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment. “This project will be a benefit to
families in need and TO our environment for many years to come.”
Bruce Dines, executive director of the StEPP Foundation, echoed
Benevento’s comments.
“The StEPP Foundation is delighted to participate in a project
that benefits an underserved demographic in a way that is both environmentally
and economically friendly,” Dines said. “We look for projects that have a
combination of benefits, and the solar hot water systems project matches our
selection criteria perfectly. We thank the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment for making the funds available.”
The solar hot water systems significantly reduce air pollution
by lessening the amount of natural gas burned in traditional domestic hot water
heaters. Since the systems can provide approximately 70 percent of a home’s hot
water, they also reduce energy costs for homeowners.
The Center for ReSource Conservation predicts that the 14 solar
hot water systems installed will save homeowners an average of $350 annually in
energy costs. Each new system is designed to operate for 30 years and is
estimated to displace 76,950 pounds of air pollutants during that period.
The Colorado-based StEPP Foundation provides funding and
oversight for such projects with a goal of increasing the number of energy
efficiency, clean energy and pollution prevention efforts implemented at the
local, state and national levels for the benefit of the public and the
environment. Projects are funded based upon consideration of the maximum
environmental benefit the project will have for the dollars spent.
The foundation works with the Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment to identify worthy projects. Portions of negotiated
settlements reached by the department’s environmental divisions in cases where
environmental laws have been violated often are targeted to provide funding. The
intent is to benefit communities harmed by the violations.
Projects that fit the specific settlement criteria are selected
from the StEPP Foundation database or through a proposal process, and then put
through a systematic review. Subcommittees review detailed proposals and make
recommendations to the full StEPP Foundation board of directors. The board makes
recommendations on which projects to fund to the Department of Public Health and
Environment, which must decide if the projects meet the negotiated requirements
of each related settlement.
Subcommittees consist of at least one foundation board member
and four or five professionals from pertinent and/or related fields.
Participants represent business, government, academia and nonprofit sectors.
Subcommittee members include experts in economic development, renewable energy,
community development, energy efficiency, pollution prevention and environmental
leadership.
For more information about the Solar Hot Water Systems project,
please contact the Center for ReSource Conservation at 303-441-3278.
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