PICO RIVERA – Looking to be more energy efficient, city officials Tuesday kicked off its Energy Efficiency Program, “Pico Rivera Only You Can Save Energy.”
The area in front of City Hall was turned into a one-stop informational outlet for conservation, including energy, water and soil.
“Pico Rivera is only the second city in the nation and the first in this area to launch this type of program,” Mayor Bob Archuleta said.
“It aims to provide residents simple, powerful and engaging messages about the importance of saving energy and putting dollars in the public’s pocket,” Management Analyst Ray Chavez said.
The project is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of the the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“Conservation is one of the most important things we can do as a community,” Archuleta said.
A CD, titled, “Only You … Can Save Energy,” will be mailed in the next few weeks to 16,500 residents and businesses.
“It will offer conservation and tips and other information for residents to follow,” Chavez said.
In its own effort to reduce energy costs, the city has replaced the lights at the City Hall parking lot and the ones in the traffic signals with energy saving LED lights.
“We’ve estimated that using LED lights inside the traffic signals will save 90 percent in energy,” Director of Public Works Art Cervantes said. “We don’t know at this time what the savings in dollars will be.
“The importance of this program is to help move people in modifying their behavior,” he said. “What the city has done to conserve energy is just a small fraction of what can be done. The greatest difference will come from the community.”
Via: Whittier daily news
