Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

Painter Michael Kane of Stymeist Auto = Body paints=20 a car with the shop's new water-based paint finishing system. = Company=20 owner Steve Stymeist made the switch in order to dramatically cut=20 greenhouse emissions.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
With fuel cost on a meteoric = rise, some=20 Amadorians are looking into cutting down their monthly electric bills by = re-fitting their homes with what's commonly known as "green" solutions.=20

According to Chris Fragapane, co-owner of True Value Hardware in = Jackson, there are several affordable avenues that can start your home = down the=20 path toward energy conservation.

"The biggest thing you can do = quickly=20 and with relative ease is switch to compact florescent light bulbs," = Fragapane=20 said. "They basically get 75 watts of light out of 13 watts of energy. = Getting=20 'on-demand' hot water heaters, programmable thermostats and putting = timers on=20 things around the home that use a lot of energy - like swimming pool = pumps - can=20 also make a huge difference." Fragapane added that he's noticed a move = toward=20 installing evaporative coolers and whole house fans as a way of = minimizing the=20 need for central heating and air. "For people who want to install those = things,=20 the energy savings are big time."

Dan Sneed, co-owner of True = Value,=20 said doing something as old-fashioned as using a clothes line to dry = laundry can=20 help cut electric costs. "The trick is to basically use the clothes line = the=20 whole time and then throw your clothes in the dyer for five minutes so = they=20 don't get stiff," he said. "If you do that enough, it will cut your = usage for=20 sure."

Amador County's main power provider, Pacific Gas and = Electric=20 Co., wouldn't disagree with Sneed's unorthodox advice. Like other = electric=20 companies, PG&E has launched a major campaign to encourage customers = to take=20 energy conservation seriously, even offering incentives for them to cut = their=20 usage.

"Right now the best people to sell green technology to = the public=20 are the utility companies themselves," said Jay Michel, chief marketing = officer=20 of Vari-Kool MFG. Inc., a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. = Based out=20 of Valley Springs, Vari-Kool specializes in designing commercial and = industrial=20 refrigeration units that use between 25 and 40 percent less energy than = average=20 cold storage spaces.

From Michel's perspective, energy companies = like=20 PG&E have a clear interest in keeping their customers' bills low. = "At this=20 point, there's only so much power to go around," Michel explained. = "There are=20 places in California where energy grids are getting close to being maxed = out. If=20 you're wondering why a company would want to lower their charges, the = truth is=20 that, when it comes to energy conservation, they don't have a=20 choice."

While Vari-Kool's energy-saving technology is targeted = for the=20 business and industrial sectors, there is one major financial benefit = Michel's=20 clients get which an average PG&E customer can also pursue - = rebates. The=20 utility company currently has an online site where customers can = discover if=20 their level of energy efficiency is good enough to get money back in the = form of=20 rebates or tax credits. PG&E also has appliance recycling programs = for=20 refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioning systems that are more = than 10=20 years old. Customers wanting to buy the newer versions of these = appliances,=20 which use much less energy, can avoid a trip to the dump and get paid = between=20 $25 and $35 for their discarded item at the same time.

Saving = money and=20 keeping California's fragile power grids intact is enough motivation for = some=20 citizens to change their energy habits. Another major factor driving = many to=20 rethink their ways of living is the connection between carbon-producing = power=20 plants and climate change. According to Science Daily, carbon dioxide = emissions=20 from power plants represent "the globe's most concentrated source of = greenhouse=20 gases."

In Amador County, several environmentally conscious = businesses=20 have already taken the initiative to cut back on their own carbon = footprint.=20 Kirkwood Mountain Resort has embarked on an ambitious project to use 20 = wind=20 turbines as a major source of renewable energy. The company hopes to cut = 20=20 percent of overall energy demands in the entire Kirkwood Valley, as well = as take=20 the lead in safeguarding the resort's pristine environment. "Our goal is = for=20 Kirkwood to become the renewable energy leader when it comes to skiing," = said=20 Tim Cohee, the group's chief marketing officer. "I cannot imagine = anything more=20 important for us as an industry at this point."

Steve Stymeist, = owner of=20 Stymeist Auto Body and Frame in Jackson, has also made a major = commitment to=20 "going green." Stymeist recently changed his paint finishing system to a = volatile organic compound PPG waterborne basecoat. Today most body shops = use=20 paint that sends volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. = Stymeist said=20 he's proud to own the first body shop in Amador to move away from that = practice.=20 "This helps us do our part to improve the quality of our air and = contribute to=20 an overall healthier work environment," he explained. "This is a major=20 technological advancement with no downsides. Not only is it better = ecologically,=20 it gives better color matches and it's faster to complete a repair than = the=20 systems we were using before. Going 'green' is more costly to my = company, but to=20 me it's worth it."

Scott Thomas = Anderson