Owners of homes and businesses in Denton got roughly $190,000 in rebates for installing energy-saving devices during the first fiscal year of the city’s retooled GreenSense program.

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Denton Electric Inc. employees Mike Becknauld, left, and Mike Burnaugh install a solar panel system on the company’s building recently. The electrical contracting company was the first to apply for a solar panel system rebate under the city’s retooled GreenSense program.

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The rebates helped nearly 300 customers of Denton Municipal Electric pay for programmable thermostats, attic insulation, solar window screens and other gadgets meant to save money by cutting energy use.

In all, the city utility approved 567 rebates — exhausting the budget for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, said DME spokeswoman Lisa Lemons.

“The response has been overwhelming,” she said.

In the process, the program saved an estimated 348 kilowatts of electricity, the same effect as taking 137 homes off the grid for a year, Lemons said.

Another $16,000 in rebates were granted in October, and DME officials expect to soon approve their first rebate for solar panels, she said.

Denton Electric Inc. installed a 5.6-kilowatt solar panel system on its building last month — the first permitted solar panel installation on a commercial building in Denton, said Chris Ross, who handles renewable energy systems for the Denton-based contracting company.

“We felt one of the best ways to educate our customers about what we have available would be to do it ourselves,” Ross said.

Only two other solar panel systems are connected to the city’s power grid, and both are on homes, Ross said.

“We definitely hope that more residents and businesses both take an interest in this,” he said.

DME launched an expanded GreenSense program Jan. 1, offering an array of rebates for new construction as well as existing homes and businesses. Customers see the rebates as credits to their accounts.

The program aims to save energy and decrease the amount of power DME must buy each year. Denton gets about half of its electricity from the Gibbons Creek coal plant east of Bryan and buys the rest on the wholesale market and through a renewable energy contract.

DME budgeted $180,000 for the rebate program in fiscal 2008-09 but had to shift about $10,000 from another fund to meet demand, Lemons said. The budget for the current fiscal year is $210,000, which may fall short of what’s requested, she said.

“We’re being very conservative in our spending this year because of the economy,” she said. “I’m hoping that I’ll have some money in another line item that I’ll be able to add to it if it’s as successful as, or more successful than, it was this year.”

There’s no guarantee that there will be extra funds, though, so customers shouldn’t wait if they want to participate, Lemons said.

Other eligible upgrades include high-efficiency air conditioners and heat pumps, radiant barriers, windows and solar water heaters. The rebate amounts vary depending on the cost and type of improvement.

For example, customers who insulate their attics can recoup up to half of the cost, or a maximum of $400. For solar panels, which can be much more costly, customers can get rebates of up to $15,000. Home solar power systems can cost $30,000 or more to install, depending on their size, type, provider and other variables.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.

GreenSense

From Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, Denton Municipal Electric approved:

* 112 rebates for insulation

* 102 rebates for heating or air conditioning systems

* 80 rebates for radiant barriers

* 51 rebates for solar screens

* 20 rebates for windows

DME also approved 202 rebates for thermostats, but many of them were installed at a single apartment complex.

For more information on the GreenSense program, call 940-349-7137 or visit www.dmepower.com.