The Knox County Building Committee heard a presentation from Smart Watt regarding an assessment of the county’s utility usage and billing.
Back in April the committee, and later the full board, approved a free assessment put together by Smart Watt that would look at the county’s utility bills and find ways to cut costs through energy efficiency upgrades.
Orry Cummings with Smart Watt, along with Scott Clark, Project Director, went over a wide array of different undertakings that the county could do in order to save money in the long run.
Improvements included LED upgrades to light fixtures, boiler replacement, replacing older, less efficient air conditioning.
Another aspect of the plan was the addition of solar panels. Cummings said that if they were to eliminate that aspect of the proposal, the costs would decrease by about two-thirds. However, it was revealed that by incorporating solar energy into the proposal the nursing home could see a power bill reduction by 95%.
It was emphasized that all aspects of the proposal were customization. The county could choose which upgrades they wanted, and variations of each and the estimated costs savings would be adjusted based on those upgrades.
A main aspect of the presentation included the costs to cover the work. Clark said that the up-front money would be provided by a third-party financier, and the county would use the cost savings to pay for the project.
Cummings said the main focus of the assessment focused on the Mary Davis Home, and the Nursing Home. He also said that savings for the first year would be in the area of $190,000.
Cummings told the committee he would be coming back and present to the finance committee on the 19th, and the full board on the 26th.
