BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Climate Protection and the Brattleboro Energy Committee will offer a free workshop on the advantages of installing solar hot water and solar electric systems on Oct. 20.
The workshop is open to 60 participants. Advance registration is required.
Solar hot water and electric systems can help cut energy bills, say the workshop's organizers. Experts will be on hand to answer questions.
Workshop presenters and installers will include Southern Vermont Renewable Energy, Putney; Integrated Solar, Brattleboro; Solar Source, Keene, N.H.; and Co-op Power, Greenfield, Mass.
Nick Ziter, founder of SunFarm Community Solar in Putney, will be a featured presenter.
According to a press release from Brattleboro Climate Protection, in a typical Vermont home, heating hot water accounts for 15 percent to 20 percent of energy use. This represents the second-largest energy expense for Vermont homes. They maintain that solar hot water systems can drop water heating costs by 50 percent while cutting carbon pollution by more than 2.5 tons.
“Solar hot water reduces our dependence on expensive, imported fossil fuels, and is cost-effective, renewable, and applicable to many types of houses,” says Climate Protection's press release. “The technology is simple, and has been successfully used all over the world for more than 30 years.”
Even in Vermont's “northern climate,” the solar hot water systems can provide more than 70 percent of hot water needs.
The workshop will be held at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., from 9 a.m. until noon. To sign up, contact Paul Cameron at 802-251-8135 or at [email protected].