Thursday, January 6, 2011

McHenry County Government A Leader In Energy Efficient Projects

McHenry County Board members and those in the audience learned Thursday how McHenry County Government has become an area leader among local governments in energy efficient projects.

It all began in 2007 when the first phase of the county energy efficiency project was completed. That was the retrofitting of the County boiler heating plant and allows the savings of a total of $152,393 over a ten-year period.

In 2008, Phase II of a lighting retrofit to government facilities resulted in $22,000 savings and 1,404,000 kilowatt hours. Grants worth $77,000 from the Department of Commence and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation.

In 2009, an award of $2.5 million through the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program and $16,000 through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) provided for the third phase of the retrofit program. The EECBG program, funded by the America Recovery & Reinvestment Act, was designed to assist eligible entities in implementing strategies to create jobs, reduce total energy use, and improve energy efficiency in county buildings.

In the upcoming Phase III projects, the total savings annually to the county will be $92,907 with 743,916 kWh savings, generate 16,248 kWh, and save 14,805 Therms. The total project has resulted in a reduction of 1,655,888 lbs of CO2.

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