WASHINGTONVILLE – As schools plan building improvement projects, some of them take long-term energy savings into consideration.
A Washingtonville School District project could generate energy savings of about $ 196,000 per year, which would be used to fund future capital improvements in schools, according to a statement from ECG Group, a company that designs the project. .
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Larry Washington, superintendent of the Washingtonville Central School District, said in a statement provided by the company that the project would allow the district to fully maximize its financial resources.
“By using the energy performance contract to self-finance the necessary energy-related upgrades, we can free up our capital reserve, our budget and any future bond plan to deal with non-energy projects, carrying out thus more work for the same tax. impact on the payer, ”Washington said in the statement.
The project would include the conversion of LED lighting, ventilation upgrades, pipe insulation and solar panels mounted on the roof. It would be funded by a combination of state aid and energy savings that improvements will produce over time.
ECG spokeswoman Deborah Jerome said the way it works is that a project is funded by the energy savings it generates. Therefore, savings must be guaranteed to ensure the self-financing of the project. This warranty is provided by an energy service company engaged by the school district. If the guarantee is not fulfilled, the energy service company is responsible for making up the difference, she said.
The company says the total environmental impact of the project would be significant, as the annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is expected to be more than 1,374 tonnes, which is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 165 households or 299 passenger vehicles. removed from the road.
Justin Benoit, project engineer for the Washingtonville project, said that unlike a traditional investment project that only considers installation needs, the project identifies all opportunities to generate energy savings. He noted that LED lighting is an important part of the savings, in addition to the monitors that would automatically control the devices.
Over the years, the ECG group has worked with the districts of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties to implement an energy performance initiative. In Pine Bush, a project that would generate annual energy savings of $ 422,000 is underway. A Newburgh School District project is expected to reduce energy costs by 60% and generate annual energy savings of about $ 1.5 million.
“We have really seen an increase in the number of projects that we have completed,” said Benoit. “More recently, school districts are looking for different avenues to fund immediate improvements; the energy saving aspect is another important initiative which is also becoming more relevant. The combination of these two things made it more accessible and intriguing for school districts.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Schools Consider Energy Savings for Capital Projects, Improvements