A dollar saved is a dollar earned when it comes to being energy efficient.

 

The Mukilteo City Council learned that Monday when Snohomish County PUD handed over nearly $5,900 toward the solar panels that now help power the new LEEDS Gold Certified City Hall facility.

 

PUD Commissioner Toni Olson presented the check along with praise for the energy-efficient building, in both the cost it saves taxpayers and the example the city sets for residents.

 

“The fact you earned gold level LEEDS, that ain’t easy to do,” she said. “For that, I commend you.”

 

The grant for the rooftop solar panels is part of PUD’s Planet Power program, Olson said.

 

The money comes partly from Bonneville Power Association, and partly from PUD customers designating a portion of their utility bills for the program.

 

“We’ve been overwhelmed at the response,” Olson said.  “The last couple of years, Planet Power has focused on the solar panels.”

 

Those are the next generation in energy, she said.

 

“We had already designed City Hall, but when this opportunity for the solar panels came up, we kind of jumped on it,” Mayor Joe Marine said.

 

The new facility, while significantly larger and nicer than the old industrial building that “temporarily” housed City Hall for 15 years, costs less to operate, assistant city engineer Jim Niggemyer said.

 

Part of that savings is from the solar panels, but a significant amount is also due to the geothermal heating and cooling system installed, which draws air from underground, making it cheaper to cool the building in summer and to heat it in winter.

 

There is a plaque in the lobby at City Hall to educate citizens on the many energy-saving and cost-saving aspects of the new building, Marine said.

 

“The green roof is pretty obvious, easy to see,” he said. But the solar panels and, of course, the underground elements, aren’t visible from street level.

 

“It’s amazing how many of our visitors go and read that plaque,” he said.

 

Planet Power isn’t just for commercial use, Olson said. Residents can also qualify for low-interest loans and possible tax breaks for installing solar panels in their homes. To find out more about the program, visit snopud.com.