Town Buildings Get Solar Panels

Solar panels have been installed on five municipal buildings.

The Town Hall Annex, the Vernon Public Safety Building, the Vernon Police Department, the Public Works garage, and Center 375 all have had panels installed on their roofs, Mayor Jason McCoy said today.

The cost of the panels has been fully subsidized by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, are being installed at no cost to the town, McCoy said.
 
“All of the panels have been installed on the roofs of the buildings,” McCoy said. “The next step in the process is to install the hookups to the electrical system in each building. At this point in time, the panels have been hooked-up at Building 375 and the Public Works Garage. We are expecting the Police Department to be completed today and the remaining two buildings by the end of the week.”
 
The panels are expected to help further the initiative begun by the administration in 2007 to increase energy efficiency, decrease fossil fuel dependency and give the town low-cost energy options.
 
“This program will allow for the town to further invest in energy efficient solutions aimed at improving the status quo,” McCoy said. “When I was elected for my first term in 2007, I ran on a promise to save the taxpayers money and to increase energy efficiency by reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and investing in new, clean energy. With programs such as this one, we have done just that.”
 
McCoy said the program has the potential to save the town up to $15,000 annually on energy costs.

"Furthermore, the program has allowed for our town to continue to invest in green energy and continue to help advance the town’s energy technology into the 21st century,” McCoy said.
 
Installation of the panels began last Monday by DCS Energy’s subcontractor, Mr. Electric Corporation, a national chain. The purchase price for each panel is $75,000.00, however, through the federal program which placed several town buildings under a five year lease, the town did not have to make a down-payment nor does it have to make lease payments. Upon completion of the leasing term, the Town will own the panels for a price of $1.00 per panel. Should the panels not work to expected capacity or produce inefficiencies, they will be removed by the contractor at no cost to the Town.