FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DCC SETS WORKSHOPS ON ENERGY SAVING TIPS

DANVILLE, VA, May 1, 2007 – Danville Community College is co-sponsoring several free workshops during May to help businesses and homeowners learn about energy saving tips and techniques. The workshops, part of the Opportunities for Piedmont Energy Conservation (OPEC) program, will be held on Tuesdays, May 8 and 22, from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., at DCC’s Regional Center for Advanced Technology and Training.

The first workshop, “2005 Energy Policy: Energy Tax Incentives and Credits,” will be presented May 8 by Steve Farrar from Goodman & Company, LLP. It is designed for businesses and homeowners who are preparing to build or remodel. Participants will learn how to lower the costs of building and remodeling by using financial tools to their advantage.

The second workshop, “Save Energy with Leading Edge Building Practices (Modern Building Material and Systems),” will be held May 22, with Del Plante from Coastal Tech Homes, Inc. leading the workshop. This session is designed for builders, developers, homeowners and anyone interested in saving money on energy costs by using the latest in energy-saving building practices. Topics covered will include new building designs, materials and methods to build new or retrofit existing structures.

OPEC was established in September 2006 when a group of citizens with an interest in energy and energy conservation met to discuss how the community might capitalize on the strength of its energy base and the evolving energy-related projects currently underway in the region.

Subsequent meetings have led the group to define several roles in helping develop a sustainable competitive “energy” advantage for our region. These roles include:

·         Acting as a catalyst to help build awareness within the business and public communities of new technologies, processes and products related to energy.

·         Advocating for those technologies, processes and products that offer the community a competitive advantage.

·         Identifying possible new spin off business opportunities and promoting those opportunities to economic developers and the business community.

Future workshops include: “Energy Efficient Mortgages,” “USDA’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programs,” “Building America Program,” “National Cooperative Bank-Building Cooperatives,” “Bio-Diesel” and “Alternative Fuels.” In addition a joint meeting with North Carolina’s Green Building Council, a field trip to SIPS of America-Lumberton, NC and a field trip to Piedmont Biofuels-Pittsboro, NC are also being planned.

DCC’s RCATT is located at 121 Slayton Avenue, Danville in the Cyber Park. For more information about OPEC or the workshops, please contact Diane Arnold, Director of Longwood University’s Small Business Development Center in Danville, at 434.791.7321.