Northbrook Tower Reviews GGN November 21st Energy Presentation

This article appeared in the Northbrook Tower

HEADLINE: Go Green Northbrook reviews $1M in GBN energy savings
Subhead: Go Green NB discusses more saving techniques

by Alan P. Henry
November 26, 2013

The newly formed Go Green Northbrook group attracted 40 people to its first meeting at the Northbrook Public Library on Thursday, Nov. 21.

There to discuss energy conservation with the grassroots organization was Dan Whisler, Glenbrook North High School assistant plant operator, who told the audience that GBN saved more than $1 million since the 2008-2009 school year via various energy conservation techniques.

"We have come a long way in the last five years," Whisler said. "There are a lot of things we can continue to do to save energy and find green products. That is the challenge we have. We just need to continue to search out what's out there."

After involving staff, students and an energy consulting firm in the process, the school instituted aggressive recycling and energy conservation measures, said Whisler. Those measures included replacing florescent lights with LED lights; eliminating the use of Styrofoam in the cafeteria; changing out products for floor stripping and cleaning; handling indoor air quality differently; and recycling items like toner cartridges, batteries, oil and old computers.

Whisler said that not everyone at GBN is as environmentally aware as the students with whom he interacts.

"Unfortunately, [the group is] up against a student population that I don't think is as conscious as they would like them to be, but they keep working at it," Whisler said.

A second speaker of the night, Brandon Leavitt, president of Niles-based Solar Service Inc., discussed the economics and environmental benefits of solar generation for homes, schools and buildings.

Solar Service installed the solar pool heating system at Glenbrook South High School. Over the past 30 years, he said, it has also installed residential solar energy systems in more than 20 Northbrook homes.

"Solar is a very smart, affordable, economical way to create your own energy," Leavitt said.

For an average-sized house, a hot water solar panel system retails for between $10,000 and $12,000, and it costs roughly half that after government incentives. To add heat roughly doubles the price, he said, adding that the tax-free return on investment comes to roughly 8.5 percent a year over six to 12 years. He has also installed solar electric cells in homes for between $20,000 and $40,000; the ROI on that is roughly 8-12 percent a year, he said.

Many people in the audience on Nov. 21 were there on a fact-finding mission. For example, George Heckenbach, a retired engineer, is planning to put solar panels on his Northbrook home and wanted to hear more about the economics of the method. So did Northbrook resident Mike Berg.

"I want to see whether it works for our family and is economically feasible," Berg said.

Furthermore, he hopes to learn whether solar power is a potential way to save money at St. Norbert School in Northbrook.

"Our tagline is, 'Think ahead,' and I would think [solar power] would fit under that tag," he said.

Also in attendance was Joe Salvato, an environmental activist with Organizing for Action, an offshoot of Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee. He explained that part of his mandate is to get involved in local community projects such as Go Green. "There are many environmental projects out there, and everybody can just share. I am pretty excited," he said.

Northbrook resident Ron Mauer said he has "an open mind on things."

"But I question whether solar will work in Illinois," Mauer said. "Unless they can show me that Commonwealth Edison is willing to buy back electricity at the same rate that they sell it to you, then it doesn't make economic sense. I know a lot of people got stuck doing solar down in Florida, and they got rid of it."

The meeting was moderated by Northbrook resident Doug Gerleman, who formed Go Green Northbrook six months ago. He was chair of the environmental commission in Northbrook for 15 years and created and chaired the bicycle commission. The group now has an email list of 95 people who live or work in Northbrook and has organized into 10 teams studying various issues.

Go Green Northbrook's next scheduled public meeting at the Northbrook Public Library will be in February, when it addresses the value of forest preserves. For more information on the group, visit www.gogreennorthbrook.org.