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Board hears update on energy performance contract, tax-credit timing and solar options
Summary
District staff and Johnson Controls are finishing an investment-grade audit for an energy performance contract; the board discussed potential effects of pending federal legislation on investment tax credits and asked staff to convene a working group to protect available incentives.
Cheshire school officials updated the board on an energy performance contract being developed with Johnson Controls and said the district may need to act quickly to preserve investment tax credits tied to federal incentives.
A board member raised questions about the effect of the Inflation Reduction Act incentives for geothermal and other clean-energy components on the district’s new-school projects. District staff said the applications for geothermal incentives were submitted last year for the two new schools and that those awards should not be threatened by pending legislative changes.
On the energy performance contract currently under development, staff said Johnson Controls is completing a detailed investment-grade audit to define final project scope and cost. Staff described a possible need to make timely commitments if a pending Senate bill (referred to in discussion as the "big bill") changes eligibility timelines for credits. The board agreed staff and Johnson Controls should convene the working group within the next month to determine whether actions are needed to preserve credits.
Board members discussed broader rooftop- and field-scale solar options for long-term rate stability, and one member asked Johnson Controls to identify any shovel-ready projects in Eversource territory. No formal action was taken; staff will report back with recommendations and next steps for the working group.
Less urgent: board members noted the district already has a one-megawatt contract for the town’s landfill and discussed scaling similar arrangements up to meet school electricity needs.
