Dr. Bruce Breeden with Telamon Corporation appeared before the Marshall County Commissioners on Monday with a request to conduct an energy savings assessment of the county owned properties: Court House, County Building, Marshall County Museum, County Jail and Highway Department.
Breeden, a 1970 graduate of Plymouth High School works with the energy solutions division of Telamon. The plan is to work with and assist in evaluating how the county can reduce their electrical costs primarily looking at LED light conversions although he also discussed solar options. Breeden noted that the average reduction in electrical cost with the LED improvement project for lightening is about 50%.
Breeden said they would do a complete analysis at no cost to the county, evaluating of all light fixtures is the county’s buildings. In association with the evaluation they will do an analysis on solar to see if it makes sense to consider. Two months later he would present the results of the analysis to the commissioners with the options they recommend.
Jim Grewank, a local electrician told the commissioner in 2013 the County Building was upgraded to T-8’s and he is currently working at the jail on an LED upgrade. He said they are 65 to 70 percent with an upgrade to T-8’s bypassing all the ballasts in approximately 1300 fixtures in the jail. The current upgrade will qualify the county for approximately a $9,000 rebate.
Grewank said in March 2017 the sheriff looked a solar as a way to address electrical costs. He said Walbash Valley the provider of electric to REMC told him this area’ wattage on your return wasn’t efficient enough to be conducive in this area.
Permission was granted to do an analysis of the county’s buildings except the jail. They will look at the jail property for a possible solar project because of solar has dropped drastically in the last 18 months.
While the analysis was approved, moving forward with any projects would be at the commissioner’s determination after the report is presented.
