Education the focus of area Energy Expo

A national energy plan might be on hold as the Obama administration struggles to deal with oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from the damaged Deepwater Horizon rig, but that need not keep home and business owners from becoming more energy wise.

Education, energy, efficiency and economy will be the topics of the second annual Northeast PA Energy Solutions Expo, going on this weekend.

The event is presented by Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation and Development Council and Encana Oil and Gas, Inc., with the goal of informing attendees about different ways to conserve energy and save money.

The expo will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Luzerne County Fairgrounds in Lehman Township. Throughout the weekend, attendees will be able to walk the fairgrounds and talk with the exhibitors who will have information to give.

Discussions on ways to conserve energy in a home or business will be held throughout the event, said Ryan Koch, coordinator for the resource council. Session topics include solar, wind, biomass and thermal energy, the changing climate, new technology and energy efficiency.

There will be 20 sessions in all, with two running simultaneously during each time slot.

“The biggest thing for people to save financially is to conserve,” Koch said. “We will be promoting conservation and other ways to cut costs.”

More than 600 people attended the expo during the event’s first run. Koch expects the same number of people, if not more this weekend. Last year, the expo had about 60 exhibitors; this year there are fewer because of the educational focus.

“We had the education last year, but we are really focusing on that this year,” Koch said.

Tony and Susie DellDonna, owners of a Solar Universe franchise for Northeastern Pennsylvania, will be attending the expo for the first time and bringing information about solar panels.

“The expo is important because it brings together a variety of companies all interested in renewable resources,” said Susie DellDonna. “Renewable energy is the way of the future.”

Other companies like Quad-K, which is an energy conservation consulting company, will be coming back for round two. According to Joan Czajkowski, administrative assistant, Quad-K will be presenting heating systems, other displays and brochures as learning tools.

Czajkowski said that coming out to the expo is important because Quad-K and businesses like them can “teach people how to save money with energy savings with the economy the way it is.”