Cornwall Energy Fair informs area consumers

CORNWALL – Do just one thing.

That’s become a motto for promoting life-style changes on everyone’s part to be more collectively energy efficient. If everyone did just one thing, the effect would be huge.

The changes are seldom radical, and plenty were to be found at Saturday’s Energy Fair.

From the sale of compact fluorescent bulbs in the Cornwall Consolidated School gym to hybrid cars in the main driveway, anyone who could not find some way they can easily make a change was just not trying.

The fair was sponsored by the Cornwall Association and the town’s new Energy Task Force. They brought together representatives from a variety of areas, from solar system installers to alternative electric providers.

What they found in Cornwall was an attitude much different from other areas where they have set up their booths.

The two alternative electric power providers were there. In February, Cornwall passed a resolution and agreed to partner with SmartPower on an energy initiative. Customers, both public and private, could sign on to buy half or all of their power from alternative sources. The response has already earned rewards that include cash and solar panels.

Halfway into the fair, Community Energy representative Kathy Quinn had signed up only three people for their wind-generator power. A disappointment? No, just a consequence of residents having already responded in large numbers to the townwide initiative.

"A large part of the town has already done so," Quinn said. "They are stopping by, saying hello, and telling me they’re already using alternative energy sources. It’s not what I usually get, and it’s very impressive."

"It’s a little more expensive. You might pay $5 more a month on your electric bill," Quinn said. "There are a lot of people who say no because it’s going to cost them a little more. We explain that it’s about investing in these energy sources, and that will eventually bring the cost down. Cornwall people really get it."

At the Sterling Planet table, the story was pretty much the same. Lots of local people had already "invested" in the power they provide from small hydro, wind and landfill gases.

Doing a brisk business was the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund sale of light bulbs, lamps and the new LED Christmas lights.

Sales manager Jason Parauka said the 60-watt equivalent compact fluorescents were the big seller. What he finds wherever he goes is that people are reluctant to switch over all at once, even at their $2 per bulb price.

"People tend to wait until the old bulb burns out," Parauka said. "I can understand that they don’t want to throw out something that’s still good, but that 50-cent bulb is going to cost them a lot of money and use a lot of energy."

At the SolarWrights table, a representative of the Rhode Island-based company was busy answering homeowners’ questions about their desire to invest in energy freedom. The CT Clean Energy Fund offers big rebates.

Homeowners discovered they can even get GE water heaters powered by biodiesel. The one on display Saturday bore a sticker that read, "Biodiesel, Praise the lard!!"

Thanks to a survey devised by third-, fourth- and fifth-graders at CCS, fairgoers could measure their energy footprints.

Five-year old Monica Williams was shy about divulging her test results. But her mom, Monica, said she had done very well, taking short showers, turning off unused lights and putting on a sweater to keep warm.

But what the Williams family, which includes dad Ernest, would really like to do is take their home "off the grid." They live in Sharon, in that Route 7 section commonly thought of as Cornwall.

"We have this sunroom where it gets to be 85 to 90 degrees even in the winter, without the heat on," Monica Williams said. "Everyday I walk by there and tell my husband that we need to use that heat source."

Again, it’s about attitudes, as well as the realization that something’s got to give when it comes to energy demands.

"I’d love to get off the grid, and even sell back to the power company," she said. "But its also about being self-sufficient, and teaching your kids to live off of and care about the land."

The family has a small house on their property where they can retreat when the power goes out. It has a woodstove and they keep it stocked with food and other supplies. Williams said splitting firewood has become part of her exercise routine. It’s a great plan, for now. But someday, they plan to breeze through power outages like they never happened.

"Because for solar users, there are no power outages. We’re going to do it," she said, gaining new determination from the fair.

Meanwhile, Ernest was outside checking out the hybrid and biodiesel cars. They are something in which he has had more than a passing interest, particularly because he commutes to New York City.

Visitors really seemed surprised by how "normal" looking these cars are, with no banks of batteries filling the trunk or pared-down body styling to save weight.

Cornwall residents had their unique questions. They were pleased to hear the hybrid Honda Civic, with its precisely choreographed use of gas and electric engines, does just as well, if not better on hills. Disappointing was the fact that there’s no 4-wheel drive to aid one through a Cornwall winter.

Phil Hart remarked on the changes in design that have led to cars only distinguishable as "green" if you know where to look. He asked a dealer about gas mileage, and was impressed to hear 45 mpg on the highway. He quickly made an attitude adjustment.

"It’s more about low emissions, though," Hart said. "If we commit to this kind of energy efficiency, we won’t even have to think about gas mileage."