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GREENSBORO - It could be as easy as changing a light fixture or as complicated as installing a solar water heating system.

But little by little, Greensboro hopes to save energy - and money.

This fall, the city will begin a $6 million energy performance contract that will outfit 63 buildings with new equipment and infrastructure. The program will pay for itself in energy cost savings, city leaders said.

In the coming weeks, the city also will hire a sustainability manager who will find other ways the city can save utility costs and train city staff and the public on ways they can be more energy-conscious.

"This is a good thing for the city," said Butch Simmons , Greensboro's director of engineering and inspections. "Having that kind of expertise can benefit everyone."

This summer, Greensboro staff members have worked with Pepco Energy Services representatives to audit more than 60 city buildings for potential energy savings.

They hope to take a plan to the City Council for adoption by October, Simmons said.

New equipment would be installed in the 18 months after the plan is approved.

"It's great. It's one area the city can save money and conserve resources and reduce pollution," said Joel Landau , co-chairman of Greensboro's sustainability committee, a new advisory committee created by the council.

The proposed improvements include new heating and air-conditioning systems, electrical fixtures and water-heating systems.

The energy contract will allow the city to replace outdated heating and air-conditioning equipment in a number of public buildings, including the Melvin Municipal Office Building.

A new heating and cooling system will allow employees to control the temperature in smaller areas of city hall - a more efficient way of keeping workers comfortable when they're working late or on weekends when few other people are in the building.

"Controls are really a big part of it," Simmons said.

City Hall also will get a new way to keep warm in the winter: solar energy.

Pepco plans to place solar panels on the roof of the Melvin Municipal Office Building.

The panels will heat water that will help warm the top levels of the building.

Similar solar panels will be also used at five or six fire stations, where workers use a lot of hot water, Simmons said.

In the future, the city might add the kind of solar panels that generate electricity to be sent back into the electrical grid, Simmons said.

Some of the old office buildings also will get more energy-efficient light fixtures.

Simmons' office will be upgraded with fixtures that use fewer bulbs - bulbs that burn brighter and use less electricity.

"Lighting is another quick fix on power," he said.

Pepco will also create a Web site where Greensboro residents can learn more about ways they can save energy in their homes.

The Greensboro Coliseum complex entered into a similar energy contract with Siemens Building Technologies in 2007.

Siemens guaranteed that the complex would save $4 million in energy costs over 12 years, and in exchange the coliseum gets $3 million in updated equipment.

Greensboro is also advertising for the new sustainability manager. The manager will earn $59,080 to $70,000 per year and will replace an unfilled position in the engineering and inspections division.

The new employee will help track city energy consumption and test new technology.

The manager will also help find funding for new initiatives, according to the ad.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert @news-record.com