A new program called "Energy Efficiency: Now's the Time," designed to help reduce energy consumption for heating, cooling and lighting office and public buildings, has made its debut in this region through the Energy Design Group. The concept is adaptable for buildings either planned or under construction, as well as for existing structures. A seminar for Warren County officials was held recently at the Holiday Inn Express in Warrenton. The meeting was attended by representatives from the cities of Warrenton and Truesdale, local fire district and ambulance personnel and from the Cuivre River Electric Co-Operative. "It offers clients the opportunity to upgrade every one of their facilities without impacting their budget," said Terry Stark of PNC Bank/National City Bank, a partner in the Energy Design Group. PNC Bank provides a financing package where the loan can be repaid through savings realized from the design and implementation of the energy efficiency program within a given building. "It puts money back and creates more jobs," Stark added. The Energy Design Group will conduct a survey of an existing building to measure the efficiency of its energy consumption. For a building under construction or planned, the program will help the owners design an energy use plan which can significantly lower yearly utility costs. Both programs work by helping the end user reduce the depletion of natural resources such as energy, water and raw materials. "Buildings use 48 percent of all energy in this country," said Stark, "and 76 percent of the electricity." "It fits what we call the sustainability sweet spot," remarked Michael Levinson of Energy Solutions. "It makes sense economically and it will give you a high performance building." Two local organizations in attendance, the Warrenton Fire Protection District and the city of Warrenton, both have projects which could be impacted by the program. Warrenton Board of Aldermen President Fred Flake and Economic Development Director Michelle Schlenther attended the program, in part they said, because a new city hall is under construction. "As our building develops, it seems like it would be well worth checking into," Flake observed. "Any time you can find a way to save money on utilities, it would make sense because it saves money for the taxpayers." "It was very informative," said Schlenther of the meeting. "It makes you think about ways to help control costs because energy consumption bills will be a major part of our fixed expenses each month." Warrenton Fire Chief Mike Owenby's department just completed a project for the new fire station No. 3 on South Highway 47. The building is currently in service, but Owenby said he might want to bring the Energy Design Group in to review the facility's efficiency. "It could be interesting to see how we stack up, considering our building is brand new," said Owenby. "I'd like to hear what they say and how they evaluate our energy efficiency."