Tarrytown's Village Hall Goes Green…And You Can Too

With the help of a local energy-consulting firm, Tarrytown's Village Hall will install solar paneling on its roof later this year.

The solar panels will reduce the buildings's energy consumption by almost 60,000 kilowatts a year – that's a savings close to $10,000.

"Solar panels are becoming much more mainstream," says Michael Kampen, founder and CEO of Prudent Power in Sleepy Hollow. Kampen is overseeing the Village Hall improvements.

"Some people are interested in savings, some hate oil and gas, some are very green and want to have zero carbon footprint, and some are buying electric cars and want to use solar power to charge their cars," he said.

Regardless of people's motivation, solar paneling can save families and small business' money…in the long run.

"You don't buy solar paneling and three years later have all your money back," Kampen says, but "each year the cost of electric increases. Solar paneling allows you to produce your own power and save money each year."

Sung Pak and his wife Michelle of Sleepy Hollow installed solar paneling and a geothermal heating system in their home two years ago.

"We needed to change our heating system anyway," Pak said. "We thought if we're going to do it why not do it in a progressive way to protect the environment."

Pak received a significant tax rebate from the federal government, cash incentives and an low-interest loan to help offset the costs. And while he is already seeing a savings on his energy bill, his decision was more than just a financial one.

"To me, the whole payback is secondary compared to knowing that we are free of oil dependency," Pak said. "We plan on living in the house for 30 plus years so I know it's going to pay itself off. We feel like we did what we can (to preserve the environment) and we are still doing what we can. We're doing our share."

Sung and his wife worked with Kampen to design and install their solar and geothermal systems.

Kampen says when Prudent Power opened its doors in 2003, solar paneling was a more expensive home improvement than it is today. Now the cost of installing solar paneling is offset by government tax credits and cash incentives. According to Kampen, the average family can expect to pay around $13,000 to install solar paneling. He says the panels will save a family approximately $1,200-$1,500 each year based on current electrical prices; this means the solar panels will be paid off in eight years and the savings will continue every year thereafter.

Kampen moved to Sleepy Hollow from Germany where he received his master's degree in thermal engineering and renewable engineering. He says energy costs in Germany have always been high so it's common for homes to create their own energy. When Kampen moved to the U.S. he realized his knowledge could be utilized within his new community.

"This business was created out of my passion and expertise," he said." Prudent Power is trying to be very local so we're always available to help our neighbors."

You can learn more about Sleepy Hollow's Prudent Power on their website: www.prudentpower.com.