The city is unlikely to get the full amount sought. However, AGL officials said the city is in good standing to get some portion of those identified funding needs.
“It’s probably going to be late summer when we get feedback about what was suggested,” explains Toby Chandler, manager of product development at AGL.
Applications will be submitted within the next couple of weeks to the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. A state agency, the GEFA administers a wide variety of programs that provide financial assistance and other support services to improve Georgia’s environment.
Chandler said AGL’s CEO was looking for a way to assist the communities served by the natural gas distributor. Chandler notes that AGL’s very first customer was the city of Atlanta. In 1856, the company installed Atlanta’s very first gas street lights.
“This is a continuation of that tradition, of reaching out and helping the communities we serve,” he said.
Through AGL, federal stimulus funds are going to three types of projects: weatherization projects to assist low-income families, such as by adding insulation to homes; energy efficiency and conservation projects, such as that proposed for Cedartown; and promotion of natural gas-powered vehicles, substituting a domestic energy source for an imported source of energy.
To assist Cedartown, AGL brought in a company to conduct an energy audit of Cedartown’s public buildings, at no cost to the community. That audit revealed a recommended list of energy efficiency improvements that, if all were funded today, would cost about $847,219.
Recommendations include:
Replace old toilets with high efficiency, 1.28-gallon low-water-use toilets, for a projected water reduction of 64 percent.
Replace faucets in city buildings, for a 50-percent reduction of water.
Upgrade window tint, for a heat load reduction of 15 percent.
Replace water heaters in use in city buildings, for a 20-percent reduction in gas used for heating.
Replace roof-mounted heating and air conditioner systems, for a reduced heat load of 15 to 20 percent.
Replace heating and air conditioning controls, for a heat load reduction of 15 to 20 percent.
Other suggested improvements included roof sealants, window caulking and replacement of some older equipment in use by the city.
For example, replacing the back-up power generator at the city’s waste water treatment facility would cost $75,000. The total energy efficiency gains were not estimated, but it was noted that the old unit is not a “green,” energy-efficient model.
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