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District says solar project is already cutting energy costs; Verizon delay pushes final commissioning
Summary
The district presented measured solar and energy-conservation savings and a projected $352,000 annual net saving in year two of the Energy Performance Contract; officials said commissioning of the high-school arrays depends on a Verizon SCADA connection tentatively scheduled for May 16.
District and vendor representatives updated the Board on the Energy Performance Contract (EPC), the district’s solar carport and rooftop installations across five buildings, and measured savings to date.
Tim Laube and representatives from Johnson Controls (JCI), Sunrise Solutions and Energia described how each building’s solar production is banked and accounted per building, and how energy-saving measures (LED lighting, new chillers) complement solar generation. The presenters showed a comparison for Dayton Avenue that in March 2019 required about 67,800 kWh from the grid and produced a March bill above $9,200; in March 2025 the same month’s grid consumption fell to about 13,800 kWh and the district’s solar produced roughly 40,186 kWh, reducing that month’s bill to just over $2,000.
The EPC team said guarantees in the contract include a measurement period and that the contractor pays the district for any shortfall against guaranteed savings. The district’s projection for year two (the first full year after one-time incentives) is a net cash-flow improvement of approximately $352,000 after debt service, operations and maintenance and state aid.
Board members pressed vendors on why the high school’s PV production equals about 60% of the building’s projected annual consumption (2.5M kWh production vs 4.3M kWh usage). Vendors explained constraints including rooftop condition, available space for carports, transformer and electrical infrastructure limits and state payback requirements; they said some other district buildings achieve higher production ratios (up to ~90%). The team also noted the project used newer, higher-efficiency panels where feasible and that future upgrades could increase production when panels are replaced.
Officials identified a separate commissioning requirement: a secure supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) communications link to the utility that must be installed by Verizon. The district reported long delays with Verizon; after outreach through County Executive Ed Romaine’s office, the district received a tentative Verizon installation date of May 16 and expects that connection to allow final startup and measurement for the high school.
Next steps: district staff will follow up on the Verizon timeline, continue measurement of savings, and report final commissioning dates and verified annual savings to the board.
