Claremont Joins in Energy Saving Race
In January, Claremont was selected as one of the 50 finalist cities in the country for the Georgetown University Energy Prize Competition, as the city has shown high success in energy efficiency and reduction. The challenge is judged on multiple components, including decreasing energy use overall and creating innovative methods of conserving energy. The goal for each city is to reduce energy consumption in homes, municipal buildings, and K-12 schools over the next two years and to teach others of innovative energy efficiency. The winning city will receive $5 million and if the city of Claremont wins, CUSD will receive $1 million of the $5 million.
When Claremont has worked to conserve energy in the past, a large amount of money was saved and put into the employee health benefits fund. As the district works with the city to formulate new ideas on how to conserve more energy, they are taking in mind what residents and students want for the city.
“If Claremont wins, I would like to see some of funds be used to get schools new sports equipment and electronics. But most importantly, I would like some of the money to go into heating the pools as the water is always very cold,” freshman and cross country member Charlie Davis said.
The residential sector consumes a large amount of energy, composing 80% of Claremont’s total energy usage. Homeowners can reduce energy consumption by installing solar panels and retrofitting houses for more efficiency. The Claremont Home Energy Retrofit Project (CHERP) has already retrofitted 251 of the 13,000 houses in Claremont. Moving Claremont into a more energy efficient city is a community wide effort.
“I believe that it is a great idea that we are in this energy conservation challenge and it is a great experience for all of us to learn more about the importance of energy conservation,” sophomore Misak Maranon-Davis said.
Claremont has been on the forefront of energy reduction recently placing second in the California Energy Challenge. The opportunity to be one of the 50 cities across the country in this competition is a big honor. With the money saved and possibly awarded, Claremont will be able to improve schools, facilities, and lives throughout the city.
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James Jung is a Senior and Editor serving his fourth year on The Wolfpacket. James is a devoted brother to fellow staff members of the Wolfpacket team....
