Asheville Buncombe Air Quality Agency honors Eaton and Footprint Project; board approves equipment loan and permit renewals

The Asheville Buncombe Air Quality Agency Board of Directors presented its annual Air Quality Excellence Awards and handled several operational items at a special meeting, including approval to loan surplus ozone monitoring equipment to the University of North Carolina at Asheville for evaluation and renewal of multiple facility permits.

The board honored two award recipients. Eaton Corporation’s Avery Creek facility was recognized for a 2024 LED lighting retrofit and other efficiency work. Agency staff said the lighting portion of Eaton’s project, completed with corporate partner Trane Technologies and utility rebates through Duke Energy’s smart‑path program, reduced electrical use by “over 420,000 kilowatt‑hours” and about “60 kilowatts a year,” figures reported during the meeting. Agency staff also reported an estimated carbon‑equivalent reduction number during the presentation; that figure was given in the meeting record but was not documented in permit or engineering records provided at the meeting packet.

The board also recognized the Footprint Project for its post‑storm renewable energy response after Tropical Storm Helene. Footprint staff described deploying solar‑battery generators, portable microgrid trailers and atmospheric water generators to serve community hubs and people relying on medical equipment. The group established a hub in Mars Hill and, according to staff remarks, has shifted from immediate response to recovery and local resilience work. Ian Bailey of the Land of Sky Regional Council told the board that Land of Sky and partners have received a $5,000,000 Department of Energy award, routed through the North Carolina Energy Office, to pilot permanent community resilience…