Energy Efficiency

LA CRESCENTA — Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday allocated $15.4 million in federal stimulus money for numerous energy-efficiency programs; among them was one that will allow property owners to tie improvement loans to the land and not their credit. The federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program was created in 2007 but was recently funded for the first time with $3.2 billion in stimulus money to be divvied up among state and local governments. In Los Angeles County, most of the money, about $11 million, will help build regional environmental service centers.

DOWNTOWN — Visitors to the Americana at Brand on Monday were mostly oblivious to the set of solar-powered charging stations in the middle of the shopping center, except to note that they looked pretty. The “solar flowers” — temporary green structures shaped like giant daises and capped with solar panels — are part of a promotional campaign for the Toyota Prius, meant to emphasize man’s ability to live and operate in harmony with nature. The stations offer free wireless Internet access and power outlets for laptops and other devices.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- Glendale will be spending more than $420,000 to help promote energy efficiency and reduce its energy costs for traffic signals. The Glendale City Council is setting aside the money out of a state-mandated 2.85% fee on electric bills that started in January 1998. The city must spend it on energy efficiency programs. About 200 intersections in Glendale will have traffic signals fitted with new lighting to replace outdated incandescent lighting.

With the increased use of natural gas for heating this season, Southern California Gas Company (The Gas Company) is offering customers rebates for the purchase of energy-efficient appliances. By selecting high-efficiency appliances and other qualifying products,, customers can receive rebates of $200 for furnaces, up to $75 for clothes washers, $30 for water heaters, $30 for dishwashers ad 15 cents per square foot on wall or attic installation. "The savings start with purchase rebates but don't end there," said Michelle Mueller, vice president of customer service for The Gas Company.

GLENDALE ? Glendale Water & Power is using the content of a brand new website to spell out its efforts to make the city more environmentally sound, and to tout its goal of having the city running on 20% renewable energy in the next 10 years. "We've been working hard in several areas ? in energy efficiency, renewable energy and reductions in CO2 emissions," Power Management Administrator Ned Bassin said. "All of that is to benefit the environment and reduce global warming." In working toward energy efficiency, the utility company has spent about $20 million over the past several years, Bassin said.

CITY HALL — With its energy efficiency and water conservation programs taking hold, Glendale Water & Power has found itself in the rare business position of spending money to lose revenue. The utility switched out 20 old refrigerators at schools within the Glendale Unified School District on Tuesday with new energy-efficient replacements, paid for by the utility. About 100 fridges will eventually be switched out at an upfront cost of $100,000 while cutting into the utility’s revenue by about $25,000 per year, said Hector Gutierrez, public benefit programs coordinator.

On Tuesday, the City Council is tentatively scheduled to hear a report on the Planning Department’s practices for reviewing window replacement applications. The Planning Department currently follows guidelines developed in accord with the Design Review Boards, reviewing each application on a case-by-case basis and referring those found to be incompatible with the subject house and neighborhood to the commissions. On Tuesday, the City Council asked planning officials for a report on these practices, apparently in response to complaints from residents whose window replacement applications have been denied or sent to design review.

A special meeting of Glendale Community College's Board of Trustees will focus on a study session to discuss which renovation and modernization projects at the college are most important. The meeting will be 5 p.m. Tuesday in the college's J. Walter Smith Student Center's conference rooms, 1500 N. Verdugo Road. Measure G is a $98-million capital improvement bond measure approved by voters in 2002. When the bond was approved, college officials hoped to renovate the campus' outdated classrooms and job training facilities; add new classrooms and instructional support space; construct additional parking facilities; complete the science center; build new facilities to train nurses; expand the Adult Community Training Center; upgrade the campus's electrical and technological infrastructure; improve energy efficiency; repair deteriorated plumbing, lighting and security systems and upgrade buildings, structures, walkways and roads for safety.

GLENDALE — Ignacio R. Troncoso, the director of Glendale Water & Power for the past six years, announced his retirement on Tuesday, citing the need to spend more time with family in Texas. "Unfortunately, I was an old guy when I got here," said Troncoso, who leaves a department recently ranked among the top publicly owned utilities in the state in terms of energy savings. Troncoso, 60, has a home in his native El Paso, Texas, and the constant traveling was wearing on him, he said.

Glendale Unified has reduced its energy use at 30 facilities by about 18% since August 2008, when the district adopted a conservation policy that included a ban on small appliances. The ban on things like coffeepots and small fridges didn't sit well with some teachers at the time, who said the appliances helped keep their work spaces livable. But since then, the policy, which also included rules for turning off lights and machines overnight, has translated into significant energy savings, officials reported.

CTY HALL — The City Council this week authorized city planners to create a plan to guide increased energy efficiency and conservation at public facilities. The plan is required as part of the city's receipt of $1.88 million in federal stimulus funding for energy-efficient retrofits of city buildings and public education efforts. On Tuesday, council members allocated up to $160,000 for a temporary employee who would help create the plan. Money for the position, which is funded for a year, comes from federal stimulus funding and state fees charged to all utility customers.

CITY HALL — Glendale residents may soon take part in a new Los Angeles County program to help property owners with the high upfront cost of installing solar energy systems and other energy-efficient upgrades. The City Council unanimously approved the city's participation in the Los Angeles County Energy Program, which was approved last year to encourage county residents to reduce their energy consumption by at least 20%. Under the federally funded program, homeowners can apply through the county financing for energy-efficient retrofits and upgrades, ranging from new air conditioners to solar panels, officials said.

DOWNTOWN — Four properties this year were the first in Glendale to be certified by the nation’s leading evaluator of environmentally sustainable development, a shift utility officials said could herald the turning of a green leaf for the city. The properties include a 22-story office tower at 500 N. Brand Blvd. that received gold certification, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards. While the council lists one Glendale development on its website of certified properties, it has notified city officials that buildings at 300, 400 and 450 N. Brand Blvd.

CITY HALL — The City Council today will consider paying a consultant $100,000 to continue work on reducing energy and water use among the city’s affordable-housing developments. David Blanke, a “green consultant,” would help up to seven of the city’s affordable-housing projects incorporate environmentally friendly practices to meet green building standards, according to the proposal. “We’ve been trying to get as green as we can,” said Mike Fortney, housing project manager for the city.

CITY HALL — The Department of Energy announced Tuesday that Glendale and Burbank will each receive $20 million to help fund the installation of smart meters that track real-time water and electricity usage. Burbank and Glendale were the only cities in Los Angeles County to receive a share of the $3.4 billion in stimulus funding that President Obama on Tuesday said would support similar smart grid and other energy efficiency programs nationwide. The federal windfall would make up a large portion of the estimated $28-million cost of the electric component of Glendale Water & Power’s smart grid plan, which is estimated to come in at about $35 million for the system development and meter installation, officials said.

LA CRESCENTA — Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday allocated $15.4 million in federal stimulus money for numerous energy-efficiency programs; among them was one that will allow property owners to tie improvement loans to the land and not their credit. The federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program was created in 2007 but was recently funded for the first time with $3.2 billion in stimulus money to be divvied up among state and local governments. In Los Angeles County, most of the money, about $11 million, will help build regional environmental service centers.

DOWNTOWN — Visitors to the Americana at Brand on Monday were mostly oblivious to the set of solar-powered charging stations in the middle of the shopping center, except to note that they looked pretty. The “solar flowers” — temporary green structures shaped like giant daises and capped with solar panels — are part of a promotional campaign for the Toyota Prius, meant to emphasize man’s ability to live and operate in harmony with nature. The stations offer free wireless Internet access and power outlets for laptops and other devices.

CITY HALL — With its energy efficiency and water conservation programs taking hold, Glendale Water & Power has found itself in the rare business position of spending money to lose revenue. The utility switched out 20 old refrigerators at schools within the Glendale Unified School District on Tuesday with new energy-efficient replacements, paid for by the utility. About 100 fridges will eventually be switched out at an upfront cost of $100,000 while cutting into the utility’s revenue by about $25,000 per year, said Hector Gutierrez, public benefit programs coordinator.

Don’t rush to embrace vinyl windows. Just because they’re inexpensive doesn’t mean that we have to live with them! Evelyn Tan tried to stir sympathy for ugly windows just because homeowners can’t afford nice-looking ones (“Can’t rush judgment on vinyl,” Aug. 1). But her argument fails to consider at least two important points. First, who says you have to replace old windows? Secondly, our neighborhoods are attractive in large part because of their cohesive, richly detailed architecture.