Big energy savings could come to the city of Holland by making small changes in municipal buildings – so says a new report based on a two-year energy audit. Any energy reduction would provide immediate financial results says the report.
According to excerpts from the story:
Energy efficiency is going to come in a bunch of little packages, according to a GMB Architects-Engineering report to the city of Holland.
It could be as simple as turning off lights and computers at night. It could also mean bigger ticket repairs and replacements.
“A lot of these buildings were built 30, 40, 50 years ago, back when energy was cheap. Nobody paid attention to that stuff,” Holland planner Mark Vanderploeg said.
Under a mutually beneficial agreement with between the city and the architecture firm, GMB audited energy use at 14 municipal sites for free. While the city found out how to improve the energy efficiency of the Civic Center, police station, city hall, the Van Raalte farmhouse and other sites, GMB was better able to develop a municipal energy audit business model.
“Any reduction in energy use would benefit the city budget immediately and into the future,” the report says. Wednesday night, the city council adopted a long-range plan based in part on these findings.
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