EVERETT — Nearly $6 million in federal stimulus money should make Snohomish County and Everett leaner and greener starting next year.
About $4.8 million in U.S. Department of Energy grants will help the county make its buildings more efficient, encourage employees to use mass transit and expand alternative energy sources such as solar power. Everett is getting just over $1 million as well. The goal is to conserve fuel and energy, while putting people to work.
“Reducing our carbon footprint is the biggest thing,” county facilities director Mark Thunberg said. “It’s making the county operate greener.”
The money is part of more than $3 billion flowing to state, tribal and local governments nationwide from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants Program. The program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The County Council and county staff came up with the projects list, which the Department of Energy confirmed earlier this month.
The biggest chunk of money —about $1.5 million — will help lower energy use at several county buildings with better heating and air controls. That should save the county about $186,000 yearly in utility bills, Thunberg said. At the South District Court in Lynnwood, for example, the county expects to slash about $10,000 from a $35,000 annual utility bill.
Another $400,000 in grant money is headed to county parks and the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. Lighting and other infrastructure would be improved, parks director Tom Teigen said.
Almost $308,000 is earmarked for modernizing lighting at solid waste transfer stations.
Solar energy gets a nearly $279,000 boost to put photo-voltaic panels on top of one of the county administration buildings. The panels would power outlets for plug-in hybrid cars and would dovetail with projects involving the county’s vehicle fleet.
Some of the grant money targets commuting. About 2,100 county employees who work on the county campus will get ORCA cards, all-in-one prepaid transportation passes.
A loan program to help households make energy improvements gets nearly $966,000 and a program for home energy audits $492,000.
The loans and home energy audits complement existing programs from the Snohomish County PUD. Those include a 2.9 percent loan for efficiency upgrades to homes with electric heat as well as home-energy audits that the utility offers for a fee, PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said.
Another $208,000 in grants is headed to the Tulalip Tribes and $160,000 to the city of Edmonds, according to the Department of Energy.
Everett spokeswoman Kate Reardon said the city will use its $1 million for a city climate action plan, loans for Everett residents to weatherize homes and efficiency improvements at city buildings.
Additionally, about $200,000 of Everett’s grant money will cover matching funds for a project to install energy-saving light bulbs, power strips and thermostats in apartment buildings, townhouses and small businesses. The project, which is supported by $2.17 million in federal grants, includes the county and utilities.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Conservation grants
Recent efficiency and conservation grants from the U.S. Department of Energy.
For Snohomish County:
$1.5 million: Efficiency upgrades for county buildings
$965,680: Loan and grant program for home energy upgrades
$492,000: Home energy audits
$400,000: Energy efficiency improvements at county parks and the Evergreen State Fairgrounds
$307,800: Lighting at solid waste transfer stations
For Everett:
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