Discussions on solar panels and LED lights continue for the Mount Vernon Community School District.
Superintendent Matt Leeman said he had met with Terry Dvorak of Red Lion Solar about a proposal for solar panels for the district. The goal of looking into solar panels is to help bring the district’s energy costs down by $32,000 a year for the next 30 years, or roughly $5.2 million in general expenditure savings.
“We’re probably going to need to do additional infrastructure work, like moving to LED lighting to bring the district’s energy usage down,” Leeman said.
Those retrofits for LED lights or solar panels could be paid by physical plant and equipment levy funds, not the general fund.
Areas for the first phase of panels from Red Lion include an area between the middle school and high school, the middle school roof, near the transportation center and administrative offices of the district.
School board president Rick Elliott said there is no immediacy to act on this issue, that the board can continue researching their options for the next few months, but that making switches to LED and solar would be beneficial.
“I know we cut almost a third of our energy bill when we made the switch to LED lighting at First Street Community Center,” Elliott said.
The arrays that will be close to ground level will be raised arrays, like those at Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center, which would allow vehicle parking underneath them.
Board member Tim Keegan asked what happens if the district were to construct a fourth building. Would they be able to keep energy usage below the 20 kilowatt hours they are trying to do?
Another concern was with buying a new controller for the HVAC systems if that would help reduce electrical usage by the district.
Leeman said being able to set temperatures in buildings when not in use, like a higher temperature for the auditorium when there isn’t a show happening, would definitely help. The district would be replacing controllers for the HVAC systems, not thermometers, however.
The board took no action on any solar or LED plans and will continue discussions at October and Novem ber’s meetings with additional research. Dvorak from Red Lion is slated to present to the board in the future as well his proposal.