"Going Greener" in Covington's Clark's Grove

Even as the leaves begin to change their color, Covington’s Clark’s Grove is "going greener.”

The Clark’s Grove Homeowner’s Association and several individual homeowners in the neighborhood are applying for a solar power grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Agency (GEFA).  GEFA will supply grants from a $4,000,000 pool provided by the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the “Stimulus Bill”) for alternate energy projects in the state.

The Homeowner’s Association portion of the grant would provide solar panels for power and hot water for the neighborhood swim club.  Individual homeowner grants would provide power for normal electrical service, solar thermal water heating, or a combination of the two. 

The grant, if approved, would provide 75% of the cost of each residential system, with the homeowner providing the remaining 25%.  Homes must have proper sun orientation and exposure to participate. 

Hannah Solar, who is submitting the grant on behalf of Clark’s Grove, says that the roof-mounted solar panels should cut electricity bills almost in half for the homeowners, providing a payback to the user in only two to three years.  After the payback, everything is “savings” for the consumer.  The system should be expected to operate without problems for at least 20 years.

Clark’s Grove is Covington’s premiere Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND).  TNDs are an emerging national trend in land use planning, smart development, and environmental stewardship.  Walkable communities where people live, work, shop and play, TND neighborhoods, such as Clark’s Grove, feature a town center, parks, plazas, commercial establishments, civic buildings, common green spaces, tree-lined sidewalks, narrow street grids, paths and trails throughout, and homes with front porches set close to the street on small lots.

Homes in Clark’s Grove are built to “EarthCraft” standards.  EarthCraft House is a green building program that specifies building standards resulting in healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment.  The program is a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Southface Energy Institute, the government and industry partners whose aim is to help home builders be leaders in smart growth management and environmental stewardship.