Lexington GWAC will sponsor a home energy efficiency workshop as part of the Lexington Low Carbon Diet program. Home heating and cooling produce approximately 35% of a family's carbon emissions. Energy costs are rising dramatically, so taking measures to tighten up your house will reduce your global warming impact, increase your comfort and save money.

Featured speaker, Paul Eldrenkamp, will explain how to test your home for energy leaks and how to best use a contractor to insulate your home and reduce your energy costs. Paul founded Byggmeister, Inc., a residential remodeling company based in Newton, in 1983, and has been focusing on high-performance renovations since the late 1980's. He has been a board member of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, the Green Decade Coalition/Newton, and the Newton Historical Society, among other organizations. He writes regularly on a range of topics for industry publications and is a frequent speaker at construction conferences. Additionally, he works with a range of local environmental groups to provide several workshops each year on improving residential energy performance, and provides blower door and infrared audits for Low-Carbon Diet and other neighborhood groups. More information including articles and speaking engagements can be found at www.byggmeister.com.

Representatives from Mass. Technology Collaborative and the Solar Energy Industry will discuss the State's new program, the Commonwealth Solar Initiative. MTC and Borrego Solar representative Brendan Neagle will answer questions about the installation of solar panels on residential and commercial roofs in Lexington, and the $68 million State incentive program which begins on January 23. The new program will offer the equivalent of mail-in rebates covering one-third to one-half of the cost of a normal residential-sized system, or a maximum $1 million for a commercial installation. Homeowners and business owners are invited. Snow date Feb. 7.

Mark Durrenberger, owner of New England Breeze in Hudson, Mass. (http://www.newenglandbreeze.com/) will discuss Solar Hot Water and Residential Wind Turbines installations. Mark was trained in January 2007 by Al Gore to deliver his climate change presentation. A representative from Keyspan will also share their rebate incentive program for domestic solar hot water installations.

The slides for this session can fouind here:
(wind slides, 4MB)
(solar hot water slides, 2.5MB)

Join GWAC for an evening with Robert Beaudoin, Superintendent of Environmental Services for the Town of Lexington. Robert will describe the town's successful recycling program and share ways to reduce the cause of one of the largest CO2 emissions in a household - trash. Local gardener, Frances Gillespie will be on hand to explain the benefits of home composting. Composting helps to keep a high volume of organic material out of landfills and turns it into a useful product. Frances has been composting for more than 20 years and will share her valuable experience with practical hints.