South Philly Review

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If Philadelphia plans to actualize its vision of being the greenest city in the nation, it will have to start playing it cool.

In an effort to foster some friendly neighborhood competition and hot-wire the local green movement, Mayor Michael Nutter has launched the Coolest Block contest and the prizes going to participants on the winning block are roofs, air-sealing and insulation upgrades that all could lower energy bills in the long run.

The competition, jointly promoted by the City, its Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) and Dow Building & Construction, is open to all rowhome residents, but a block must submit a group entry through one person. Submissions will be judged on a range of criteria, including participation, and those with the highest will advance to the semifinals and undergo a site audit to identify areas where energy is escaping. During the semifinals, a panel of judges will review the essay each block must submit about the neighborhood and its envisioned future.

Although the deadline is not until April 5, community groups are already brainstorming. Kim Massare, president of the Lower Moyamensing Civic Association, said it would be a worthwhile — and challenging — undertaking.

“I thought it sounded like a great opportunity, but one that might take a lot of work for which to qualify,” she said.

The resident of the 900 block of Wolf Street said she thinks people are naturally “skeptical about giveaway contests,” so getting enough to participate might take some coaxing.

The association, which serves Snyder to Oregon avenues and Broad to Eighth streets, plans to reach out to its members to find willing block coordinators, Massare said. Educational sessions, planned for March 1 and 10, are designed to help participants spread the word about the contest and muster resident support.

Even before the contest, Massare was a big supporter of being part of the solution where the environment is concerned and the association has a history of participating in environmental activities.

“The benefits of going green have become too evident for us to ignore and it’s so encouraging to me that we, as a city, have finally come to embrace being green. We participate twice a year in volunteer TreeVitalize tree plantings, have built community gardens, hosted home weatherization workshops and organized regular neighborhood cleanups,” she said, adding the association also has begun working with the Philadelphia Water Department to host rain barrel workshops for residents.

Melody Damis, secretary for the East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association, said she plans to bring the topic up at Monday’s monthly meeting. The resident of the 1800 block of South Broad said the contest sounded like a “terrific” opportunity.

“I think it’s something we should get involved in,” she said. “We already have a strong Clean and Green Committee.”

According to the contest Web site, www.retrofitphilly.com, the black asphalt roof on a rowhome absorbs 95 percent of the sun’s heat, raising its indoor temperatures and, consequently, of the home next to it. This process drives up yearly, overall energy bills.

Participants on the winning block will receive: repairs to existing roofs, if needed; a white, elastomeric roof coating, which will bounce off solar energy to prevent it from being absorbed into the roof and house (black asphalt roofs soak up the sun’s heat and allow it to transfer between a house’s exterior and interior); an energy audit — from basement to rooftop — assessing where insulation and air-sealing could improve efficiency; and the installation of sealants and insulation. A five-judge panel comprised of those from the local media, environmental organizations and the building industry will review each submission.

“Our Greenworks Philadelphia goal is to retrofit 15 percent of the city’s rowhome roofs and the Coolest Block contest is jump-starting this effort,” Nutter said in a press release, “but changing the roof is only part of the package.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, proper insulation and air-sealing of a home can reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 30 percent. Air infiltration, which often occurs between walls and floors, around windows and doors, and through other gaps and cracks, can account for as much as 40 percent of heat lost in homes. One way to prevent this in a rowhome is to use foam sealants, which expand to keep heat outside during the summer and inside during the winter.

“We are proud to be able to help the Philadelphia neighborhoods become more energy efficient and comfortable,” Jerome Peribere, president and CEO of Philadelphia-based Dow Advanced Materials, said.

The contest could be just the push the city needs to help residents become even more environmentally aware.

“Rowhomes have charm and character, and have long been a unique architectural feature of the city, but most were built without the advantage of modern building science or materials,” ECA Executive Director Liz Robinson said. “The initiative to make them more energy efficient, and in effect ‘greener,’ can help to improve the quality of life for the residents while saving them money on heating and cooling bills.”