Culpeper County Building Department Creates
Regional“Green Building Resource Center”
The Culpeper County Building Department has established the first “Green Building Resource Center” in the region. In partnership with The Daniel Technology Center, Germanna Community College, and Planning District 9, the Center is a contemporary source for information on energy conservation and green building practices. In addition, GBRC provides training classes and workshops for workforce development, as well as builders, contractors, plan reviewers and inspectors. The training programs focus on the emerging Energy Code requirements and “best practice” construction methods.
The term “Green Building” refers to energy efficiency, sustainable building practices, the use of alternative energy resources and water and land conservation and use. New business and career opportunities are being developed from these green building advances and the Green Building Resource Center is a reliable source of information for the community as the need arises. This helps consumers be better informed when considering energy conservation investments.
The Center’s goal is to stimulate local economic development, and support new opportunities and jobs in this emerging technology. By offering training for jobs that specifically target energy conservation, the program provides a skilled workforce ready to fill new positions. This workforce will serve new construction and retrofit opportunities for existing buildings and homes.
The Center also provides information on Weatherization Assistance Programs, Energy Efficiency Rebate Programs, and other energy conservation programs and projects that are available to help reduce individual energy use. Increasing awareness of the opportunities available will help reduce energy consumption throughout the region. Consumers who take advantage of these programs can benefit from the resulting energy savings.
Workshops and classes are planned to begin early in 2011. The Culpeper County “Green Building Resource Center” can be contacted at 540-727-3444 X 395, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The project is funded by the Energy-Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) awarded to the Culpeper County Building Department in February 2010. The Grant is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is administered through the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Culpeper County and Planning District 9 partnered together to develop the project, and were among 26 grantees from a pool of nearly 150 proposals submitted.
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