Oct. 14--A firehouse never wore green so well, at least in Francis Deleonibus' mind.

City electricians, plumbers and steamfitters installed a solar hot-water system on the roof of a North Side fire station Tuesday -- a move designed to save the city thousands of dollars in energy costs, said Deleonibus, Pittsburgh Fire Bureau's assistant chief of operations.

The installation is the first of five that the city is planning. The others are slated for yet-to-be determined buildings next year.

"I'm pretty excited that one of the city's fire stations was chosen to kick the program off," Deleonibus said. "I think it's beneficial because we staff that facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so the utilities are used nearly every hour of the day."

Crews installed four 4-foot-by-10-foot solar panels on the roof of Firehouse Truck 34 in the Woods Run section of Marshall-Shadeland and two 120-gallon tanks in the Central Avenue station's utility room. The solar system will harness the sun's energy to produce hot water for the station's kitchen, bathroom and showers, said Jim Sloss, the city's energy and utility's manager.

Even with Pittsburgh's often cloudy skies, officials said, use of the solar panels will save the city 15 percent to 20 percent annually on natural gas bills -- recouping the $15,000 installation costs in 12 to 15 years, Sloss said. The city spends about $5,500 a year on natural gas for the facility, he noted.

The system also will lower the city's carbon footprint and provide benefits that can't easily be calculated, said Howard Percell, a project architect with Sandia National Laboratories based in New Mexico. Sandia, an advanced-technology company, is funded by the Department of Energy and managed by Lockheed Martin Corp.

"And as gas prices go up, the savings will make it even more economical," Percell said.

The installation yesterday helped Mayor Luke Ravenstahl kick off "Solar Week."

Beginning Thursday, the city will host the two-day Northeastern Solar Cities Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Officials from cities in cold-weather climates will discuss how to integrate solar technology.

Ravenstahl said such technology has the potential to create "green collar" jobs in sales, installation and maintenance. The installation yesterday exhibits the more recent advancements in solar technology.

"I think it's important that if Pittsburgh is going to be recognized as a green city, that we take steps to prove it," Ravenstahl said. "The fact that we put this on a firehouse shows that solar panels are not just for green buildings or nature centers. It has practical uses."

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