Reduce Your Use
From the Green Sanctuary Committee
Have you ever noticed the lighting in and around our congregation's
buildings? Be aware and observe the lighting in the rooms where
you are working and meeting. Soon, all of the lights in our offices
and meeting rooms will be changed to newer, more efficient lamps
with lower voltage and better output. Lighting accounts for approximately
20% of the energy used in this country and in many buildings 30-40%
of the energy consumed is from older, non-efficient lights. Lighting
technology has evolved rapidly over the past 5 years and newer lighting
is much higher in energy efficiency, while also reducing costs and
greenhouse gases.
Our congregation is taking part in an energy efficiency program
for non-profits. PSE&G has been offering a program to assist
non-profits and government entities reduce their energy usage by
subsidizing the cost of replacing older, high wattage lighting and
fixtures with new energy efficient lights and ballasts. 100% of
the cost of these improvements is initially paid for by PSE&G.
Only 20% of that has to be paid back by the congregation over a
two year timeframe and this is incorporated into the utility bill.
Therefore, 80% of the total cost of the lighting and the labor is
paid for by the utility company.
UU Montclair has decided this is a great opportunity to reduce
our costs over the long run while reducing our carbon footprint
and becoming more environmentally friendly within our UU home. For
the homeowner, NJ Clean Energy is offering a discount on Home Energy
Audits and some monetary incentives to help defray the costs of
improvements for homeowners. Go to www.njcleanenergy.com
for details.
Patti Regan Taylor
The Green Sanctuary Committee
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