Caledon to get crash course in conservation

Brian Byrnes (left) from the Ministry of Energy, presents a cheque worth $23,500 to Dale Dolan, treasurer of Windy Hills Caledon, that will go to fund Windy Hills Caledon's Renewable Energy workshops. The grant came from the Ontario Ministry of Energy Community Conservation Initiative. This workshop was held Feb. 10 at the Caledon Community Complex Caledon East.

Windy Hills Caledon Renewable Energy announced a major boost to its efforts to educate the Caledon community about the importance of conservation and renewable e energy generation.

Windy Hills Caledon is the proud recipient of a $23,500 grant from the Ontario Ministry of Energy's Community Conservation Initiative to implement an education program throughout Caledon that will be focused on energy conservation and helping people learn about generating their own electricity from renewable sources.

There will be a series of introductory seminars on different renewable energy and conservation topics between now and March, including how to audit your home's energy consumption, an introduction to renewable energy equipment and systems, a tour of an installed solar system, and a how-to on solar hot water heating systems.

Windy Hills Caledon is also holding a series of in-depth workshops for homeowners on how to investigate the suitability of a home renewable energy system, including providing Kill-A-Watt metres for rent to attendees so they can track their energy usage and start reducing their consumption.

The full schedule of seminars and workshops can be found on the Windy Hills Caledon Web site at www.windyhillscaledon.org.

"This is a great way to educate people about practical and easy ways to conserve electricity," said Windy Hills Caledon president Dale Dolan. "With more and more households showing interest in putting up their own electricity generating equipment, it's important to help people find ways to reduce their existing electricity bills and maximize the dollars they are spending on generation equipment."

Windy Hills Caledon Renewable Energy is a not-forprofit organization studying the feasibility of a communityowned wind-based renewable energy project.