TOWANDA -- A school district in Bradford County is thinking green with plans for nearly $2 million in energy-saving upgrades.
The Towanda Area school district is already eco-friendly.
Energy use in school buildings is controlled with the click of a mouse.
Soon, there will be energy-conscious reminders also, and even light switches will be a thing of the past as the district plans to add even more green initiatives through a $1.8 million guaranteed energy-savings project.
“This process through the state allows you to do that, allows you to have the energy savings pay for the cost of the upgrades. We`re going to be doing some lighting, and we`re going to be doing some building envelope, which is your insulation, those types of things,” said Doreen Secor, T.A.S.D business manager.
The Towanda Area School District started thinking about energy conservation about 10 years ago when it began consolidating outlying schools into one central campus. This new energy project will mean even more savings for the district.
Working with Honeywell Building Solutions, the district will switch to low-flow water faucets and make vending machines more energy-efficient, but the big project is lighting, upgrading the electrical system at the high school, and more.
“They can install more efficient lighting, fluorescent lighting, with motion sensors at each fixture. Hallways, classrooms, will all be set up that way, so if somebody enters the area, individual lights will turn on instead of the whole hallway,” said Ron Cook, T.A.S.D. Maintenance Supervisor.
The district expects the upgrades to save $1.5 million over 15 years, money guaranteed by Honeywell.
Officials want to pay for the project with bonds paid off over the next 10 years.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of next summer.