York County outlines plan to cut energy use at facilities and in sewer system

York County plans to boost energy efficiency across its facilities and sanitary sewer system by conducting year-by-year energy reviews, lining sewer pipes to reduce pump runtime and continuing use of geothermal wells, an agency official said.

The initiative, described by an agency official at the start of the meeting, aims to lower the county's overall energy costs through several utility-reduction projects focused on county buildings and sanitary sewer infrastructure. The official said staff will "look at the overall energy cost of the building" each year and "see what the actual power demand is, like how much electricity numerically is this building using and how can we reduce that?" The remarks framed the effort as a mix of operational audits and targeted infrastructure work rather than a single capital program.

On the sanitary sewer side, the official noted that the system consumes electricity to run pumps and said the county plans to line sanitary sewer pipes to decrease pump run time, which should lower electricity use for the system. The official described lining as a means to reduce friction and leaks so pumps work less often, calling it part of the county's broader utilization initiatives.

The official also explained the county's continued use of geothermal wells at some facilities, describing them as "tanks underground that is pumped by mechanical pump housing inside of a county facility to take the water and circulate it through a building." The speaker added, "We found that this approach is more efficient than your standard HVAC."

The remarks focused on methods and intent; the agency official did not provide cost estimates, a funding source, or a timeline for implementation. No formal motions or votes were recorded in the transcript. The county did not specify which facilities would be upgraded first or how savings would be measured and reported.