Lots to do in Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Chelan

Chelan County PUD conservation staff will be out in full force on Earth Day April 23, showing customers how to reduce their energy use and, if weather permits, operating the popular solar splash fountain. 

In Wenatchee, Conservation staff will be at Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PUD energy experts will talk to customers about where to look for energy-saving opportunities in their homes and how to save on utility bills by choosing the best products, including Energy Star-rated products. The PUD is participating in a regional program called Simple Steps Smart Savings that reduces the cost to consumers of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow showerheads. 

In a salute to Earth Day, Lowe’s will give away 1 million trees across its 1,700 stores. No purchase is necessary. Each store will have at least 500 trees that are regionally appropriate. Customers will be able to register their trees at www.lowes.com/earthday, and each tree will be virtually planted on a U.S. map. Lowe’s is located at 1200 Walla Walla Ave. 

In Leavenworth, the Earth Day Fair runs from noon to 4 p.m. at Lions Club Park. Following up on the just-completed Reduce Your Use Contest, PUD staff will talk about how all customers can improve energy efficiency by doing simple things such as caulking around windows, sealing leaky ductwork and adding insulation in their homes. The popular solar splash fountain will be running for kids to enjoy. Chelan PUD is a co-sponsor of this year’s fair along with the Port of Chelan County, Stevens Pass Ski Area and Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. The theme is “Think Local First” with a focus on buying from local, independently owned businesses to promote environmental, economic and social sustainability. Information about other activities at the fair is available on the Barn Beach Reserve website. 

Chelan’s venerable Earth Day Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Riverwalk Park. The fair features an alternative-fueled vehicle exhibit including the Chelan School District’s plug-in/hybrid/bio-diesel school bus, which is the only one in Washington state. Local farmers will be represented with information on locally grown food. Children’s activities and entertainment are in the mix as well.  Details about Chelan’s celebration are available by contacting Bee Murphy, (509) 682-5756.

Federal tax credits are available to homeowners who make energy efficiency improvements or invest in solar energy systems.

If you’re starting to think ahead to filing your 2010 federal tax return, keep in mind that energy efficiency improvements made to your home this year may entitle you to a tax credit. Adding insulation and replacing windows — the two components of Chelan County PUD’s weatherization program — can put you in line for both the PUD rebate and federal tax credit.

The tax credit  for insulation and windows is for 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500. The home must be an existing home and your principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify. The credit is for materials only; installation costs can’t be included. The credit expires Dec. 31, 2010.

Tax credit amounts for other measures vary as do expiration dates. Energy Star maintains a detailed listing of energy-efficiency measures that qualify and answers to frequently asked questions. It’s a good idea to consult your tax advisor as well.

The award-winning 'Barn' at Barn Beach Reserve in Leavenworth includes green features such as solar-heated water that radiates through the floor for winter heating.

If you haven’t been to Leavenworth lately, here’s a really good reason to go: Visit Barn Beach Reserve. 

The reserve spans eight acres overlooking and adjacent to the Wenatchee River.  A group of conservation-minded citizens established the reserve in 2002 to help protect the river ecosystem and, according to the Barn Beach website, “to promote the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Greater Wenatchee Valley through educational programming and stewardship bridging environment, arts and cultural history.” 

Executive Director Jeff Parsons has been with Barn Beach since its inception in 2002.

This they do through exhibits, programs and community events along the river at the focal point of the reserve,  the 107-year-old River Haus, home to the Upper Valley Museum and Icicle Arts as well as Barn Beach Reserve. Jim White, senior energy services engineer for Chelan PUD, conducted an audit at the historic former home last month to recommend ways to save energy. 

That’s not necessary at “The Barn,” the  new, green-built education and environmental center constructed on the foundation of a 1960s-era home on the property. The facility features 

The century-old River Haus is home to Barn Beach Nature Center, Icicle Arts and the Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth.

countertops made from recycled paper, low-VOC pressboard cabinets, recycled corrugated metal, and acoustic “cloud” ceiling panels made of remnants from a Hanes underwear factory. Solar energy is collected in two systems, one to heat the building and another to provide electricity. A simple, passive convection ventilation system operates in mild weather. In summer heat, cool air from a basement is circulated to the main floor of the 4,000-square foot building. 

The American Institute of Architects named “The Barn” one of the top 10 green building projects in the Northwest in 2009. 

If Barn Beach Executive Director Jeff Parsons isn’t there to show you around, interpretive signs can guide visitors through the building and its green attributes. 

The reserve is adjacent to the city park and Blackbird Island, a popular stop on Audubon’s Great Washington Birding Trail. Check out upcoming events at the reserve here.

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Fourth-graders don’t know they’re learning – they’re too busy having fun

A little go-kart is conveying a big idea about what transportation and energy use might look like in the future.

After taking a spin in the solar-powered go-kart, students at John Newbery Elementary learn more about renewable energy from Chelan County PUD's Bob Bauer.

Each year in May, every fourth-grader in the Wenatchee School District gets to drive Chelan County PUD’s solar-powered go-kart. It’s part of a unit on electricity that culminates in a field trip to Rocky Reach Dam.

The go-kart, powered by a 600-watt solar panel, helps drive home the point that solar power can be used to perform many common tasks  – some mundane, and some exceedingly fun.

Led by PUD Education Specialist Bob Bauer, students list off the items in their classroom that use electricity: the pencil sharpener, coffeemaker, computers, and lights. Bauer tells them that solar panels installed permanently at their schools are generating enough electricity to power all those things.

The Alcoa Community Solar Endowment and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers installed solar arrays at all schools in the county in 2004-06.

Jim White, senior energy conservation engineer at the PUD, built the go-kart. It’s been used in classrooms for several years.

The field experience at Rocky Reach Dam is called River of Power. More than 700 fourth-graders from public and private schools in Chelan County participate in the four-day event. This year’s event is May 26-29.

Hands-on activities acquaint students with hydropower, the world of salmon, and basic principles of electricity generation. Students build model dams out of sand and cardboard, draw fish, measure the power of falling water and watch corn pop in a solar popper, among other lessons.

River of Power was developed in partnership with the Wenatchee School District. Teachers spend several weeks in the classroom each spring teaching about electricity, hydropower, the history of the Columbia River and renewable energy.

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One of the questions most frequently heard by Conservation staff at Chelan County PUD is how much it costs to set up a home solar-power system. Randy Brooks, owner of Brooks Solar in Chelan, says $10 to $12 per watt installed is a good estimate for a grid-tied system without batteries.  With batteries for storing power, costs go up by about 30 percent.

“There really is no ‘average’ system size and cost.  Each situation tends to be different. “

- Randy Brooks, Brooks Solar Inc.

Brooks adds, “The estimated cost for off-grid is a little vague. I usually tell people if they are more than a quarter mile from the grid, they can install their own power system for the same cost as extending the grid. This depends greatly on their energy use, though.

“There really is no ‘average’ system size and cost.  Each situation tends to be different.  However, I usually recommend grid-tie customers get a system that will earn about as much in incentives annually as they pay for electricity. That is usually a 1.5 kW (about $15,000) system. The smallest system I recommend is 700 watts (about $7,000) because that is the smallest grid-tie inverter available. 

“The largest system would be based on how much space and money customers have, up to 100 kW (the maximum allowed by the state net meter law).”

Brooks notes that for off-grid situations, a load evaluation must be conducted and the solar system sized to meet that need, “so it all depends on how much power customers use.”

For more information:
Brooks Solar

The Solar Guide

Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP)

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