Ashley Troutman Do you know the size of your carbon footprint? The City of Somerville is trying to decrease theirs with the help of a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) will fund a Comprehensive City-Wide Energy Roadmap and residential energy efficiency programs. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Board of Aldermen (BOA), and Director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, David Lutes, made the announcement last week after the BOA accepted the funds in their weekly meeting. This isn't Somerville's first attempt to conserve, they implemented an Environmental Strategic Plan in 2007, which focused mostly on updating municipal buildings.

The EECBG is primarily for residential programs and the City-Wide Roadmap; however, a portion of it will be used to install an energy recovery unit in the Winter Hill Community School.

A hired consulting firm will develop the City-Wide Roadmap. The Roadmap will look at ways to secure additional funding when the EECBG runs out, and upon completion, will clearly define the residential energy efficiency programs.

The programs will offer incentives to residents who are willing to make changes in their homes that will reduce energy use. "It's very early in the development process. The incentives may end up being monetary, but it's more likely that they will be Service Provision Grants. We'll pay someone to do the work they want to have done," Lutes said. "An energy audit is required, and they make recommendations on the work needed."

The EECBG will help residents pay for furnace replacements, insulation, weatherizing, control systems, and more that will be explained in the Roadmap. There may also be assistance available to homeowners who want to install solar panels. "I'm very keen on having the program up and running in the Fall of this year," Lutes said.

In the meantime, it doesn't take much to save energy in your home. Simply cleaning the air filters regularly will contribute to energy conservation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Buying energy-saving compact fluorescents (CFs) instead of traditional light bulbs uses less electricity, resulting in less global warming pollution and lower electricity bills. It's also helpful to have your heating and cooling equipment tuned annually.

Join Somerville, and over 100 cities and towns in Massachusetts that are striving to become more energy efficient. To learn more about the new energy initiatives, please contact the Office of Sustainability and the Environment at 617-625-6600 x2106.