Best Green Effort of the Year: Georgetown Energy

• December 21st 2010

by UrbanTurf Staff

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UrbanTurf is taking a week-long look back at the best that DC’s residential real estate market had to offer in 2010. From the best deals to the best renovations to, of course, the best listings, we believe we have sussed out the cream of the crop.

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A group of students at Georgetown are going door to door in DC’s oldest neighborhood in the hopes of convincing area homeowners to transition to solar power.

Georgetown Energy is a student-run group that has been organizing community meetings and talking to area homeowners about the benefits of solar power for about a year now. Their goal is to have 40 Georgetown homes go solar by May 2011.

While the future of the Earth is certainly on their minds, Georgetown Energy’s focus seems to be on cost savings, noting that the DC, Federal and Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) can help recoup 90 percent of the solar costs. Also, by ordering equipment through Georgetown Energy, homeowners can save 3 percent of the gross cost.

When we first learned about Georgetown Energy through Green DC Daily back in September, four homes in the area had already begun solar installations and 14 others were seriously considering the switch.

A month or so later, WAMU reported (scroll down on link for story) that Georgetown resident Patrick Clawson was the first person in the neighborhood to install a solar power system for his home with the help of Georgetown Energy.

And in mid-November, UrbanTurf’s very own Joe Marhamati wrote about his experience with Georgetown Energy as they provided consultation regarding the possibility of installing solar panels on the roof of his condo building near H Street NE.

“Georgetown Energy has somehow clearly and consistently identified that a little bit of education from the grassroots level can go a long way towards motivating others to building lasting environmental change across the DC region,” Michael Kiefer of Green DC Realty said.

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Previous Best Of 2010 entries:

• Best Additions of 2010: Capital Bikeshare, The Return of Housing Complex and the $5K Tax Credit
• Best Real Estate Question of the Year: Is The Rent Too Damn High?
• Best Renovation By A Local Firm: Studio 27 Capitol Hill Row House
• Best Real Estate Idea That Could Fail Miserably: The Dupont Underground
• The Best Listing of the Year (For Mere Mortals)
• Best Real Estate Resurrection of 2010: 425 Mass
• The Best Listing of the Year (For Well-Paid Lobbyists)
• Best Use of a Magic 8-Ball: The Neighborhoods of 2015
• Best Real Estate Mistake of the Year: The White House is For Sale
• Best Re-Use of a Restaurant as a Home: Tilden Gardens
• Deal of the Year: The Architect’s Three-Bedroom

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/best_green_effort_of_the_year_georgetown_energy/2787.