CUMBERLAND — The Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission of Cumberland voted 4-0 Monday evening to forward the proposed regulations on residential wind energy systems to the Mayor and City Council.

Council members are expected to conduct a public hearing on the matter on Aug. 4.

David Umling, city planner, said only one person submitted comments of substance on the issue. Towson-based real estate attorney Stuart D. Kaplow, who serves as legal counsel and is a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Green Building Council Maryland Chapter, said limiting residential wind turbines to 15 kilowatts per hour (kWh) is too restrictive.

“The proposed 15 kWh is simply too small a system to have any meaningful — beyond a toy or model — benefit to a Cumberland resident,” said Kaplow, noting he wrote “as a Maryland business person who regularly works with businesses and residents in Allegany County and the Cumberland area.”

“The 100 kWh size is an industry standard widely accepted across the nation,” Kaplow said.

Umling said it was easy to refute Kaplow’s comments, received only Monday morning, by using information from the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Wind Energy Association. Documents from both agencies already had played a role in guiding city planners’ efforts to craft a reasonable ordinance, he said.

Umling said the average home uses between 780 kWh and 830 kWh per month. Using the higher figure and a 12-month schedule, one could reasonably predict 9,960 kWh of electricity consumed in a year.

A wind turbine with a limit of 15 kWh could generate 10,800 kWh per year, Umling said. The higher limit advocated by Kaplow would permit “12 to 13 times the amount of an average household,” Umling said.

“It certainly appears to (city) staff that 15 kWh is more than sufficient” to meet residents’ needs, Umling said.

Commission member Donald Hedrick agreed.

“I appreciate Mr. Kaplow’s comments,” Hedrick said. “I find it quite a leap to go from 15 (kWh) to 100. I find no reason to increase that at all.”

Said member John Gilmore: “I think we’re pretty safe moving forward.”

Kaplow also asked the commission to make residential wind turbines a permitted use instead of one by conditional use only. Umling said he feels the public is better served by someone other than city staff making the decisions.

“With as controversial as wind energy has been in this area, staff recommends (the Zoning Board of Appeals) make this decision,” Umling said.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.