Westerville Electric Division Helps Seniors “Go Green” on Service Day
Date: 05/13/2009
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Westerville Electric Division Helps Seniors “Go Green” on Service Day
(Westerville, Ohio) Saturday May 2 volunteers from around the area joined together for the 2009 Leadership Westerville Service Day. While many Service Day volunteers assisted those in need by washing windows or pulling weeds, a group of more than thirty volunteers descended on the Harris-Askins House with one goal – to make the world a little greener for residents than when they arrived .
“I participated in Service Day last year, and it occurred to me that senior housing is going to be less likely to partake in energy efficiency programs,” said Electric Utility Manager Andrew Boatright. “Over the course of the last year staff has planned to make service projects out of energy upgrades in senior housing. Service Day at the Harris-Askins House allowed us to do just that.”
In addition to replacing incandescent bulbs in permanent fixtures with more energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) bulbs, groups comprised of volunteers from both Westerville Rotary clubs, Westerville city staff, Westerville schools, Otterbein College, and Rotaract replaced faucet aerators and installed outlet draft stoppers in forty-seven apartments at the Harris-Askins House. Residents also received a LED nightlights and tips on energy and water conservation.
Over the course of Service Day more than six hundred incandescent bulbs were replaced with CFL bulbs, which will result in an estimated savings of 91,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year – enough to power 6.5 average homes in Westerville for one year - as well as an estimated annual fiscal savings of $6,800.00 for the Harris-Askins House.
First time Service Day volunteer Dinah Geschke spent the morning at the Harris-Askins House. “Participating in Service Day for the first time was enlightening. The residents at Harris-Askins House were very appreciative and delighted to make their world and ours a greener place to live.”
Boatright notes that energy efficiency improvements at the Harris-Askins House benefit the entire community, as these simple improvements reduce peak power consumption and the amount of energy the Westerville Electric Division has to buy from the market.
“This project was a commitment from Council, the City Manager’s Office, and Rotary. It shows that people, the volunteers, and the city are not only concerned with energy efficiency, but willing to take the necessary steps to invest in a more energy efficient Westerville.”