Energy Workshop Focuses on Saving the Planet...and Money

An energy workshop at the Hillsborough Public Library next week has a dual aim of sustainability and saving money, according to organizers in charge of the event.

“We are looking not only to improve their (those attending) lives, not only in dollars and cents, but in how they can improve their lives,” Bill Dondiego, one of the residents organizing the workshop, said.  “There’s nothing better than empowerment and letting people feel they are in control.”

The workshop is set for 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Feb. 19, at the Hillsborough Public Library.  Pre-registration for the event is required and can be done through the library's online calendar or at the adult services desk.  For more information, call adult services at 908-369-2200, extension 12.

Typically hosted once a year by the library, community groups BoroGreen and Montgomery Green and Sustainable Hillsborough and Sustainable Montgomery are co-hosting this year’s event.

Hillsborough Township Mayor Gloria McCauley’s hope for increasing the town’s sustainable and energy efficient practices have been a boost for both the Sustainable Hillsborough Steering Committee and the BoroGreen group.

“That part is really working nicely with our focus,” Dondiego said.  “We’re going to do whatever we can to support it.”

The workshop will feature sustainability experts from various companies and organizations, including Viridian Energy, Home Assessments and Energy Audits, Somerset County Weatherization Program and other organizations.  In addition to resources and advice, the workshop also features demonstrations on making houses more energy efficient.

While some houses around town installed solar panels and the alternate energy source will be a focus at the workshop, some of the improvements are more mundane.  Dondiego, whose background is in construction management, noted that many of the houses in town were built between 1969 to 1989 and have outdated insulation—meaning they are not as energy efficient as they could be.

But part of the workshop’s appeal is that it caters to a variety of budget, Dondiego said.  In addition to having solar power experts for those interested in converting, the workshop also has information for those on a smaller budget, he said.

“You reduce their utilities bills and once and for all make their households efficient,” Dondiego said.  “They keep their money in their families and in their households.”