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Energy contractor: $122M ESIP will add solar, HVAC and save an estimated $4M a year
Summary
DCO Energy's Greg Burns told the board the district's ESIP covers about 43 facilities, is roughly 70% complete, aims to bring more than 10 MW of solar online and is projected to save roughly $4 million annually; some high schools will receive new cooling equipment and several sites need electrical upgrades.
Greg Burns, vice president of business development at DCO Energy, told the Jersey City Board of Education that the district's Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP) is the state's largest of its kind for a school district and will pair energy conservation measures with capital improvements.
"The final scope is a little over $120 million," Burns said, and he described the project as covering 43 facilities with an expected average annual savings "of $4,000,000 off the existing utility spend." He said the district is now off fuel oil after converting remaining boilers to hot-water natural-gas systems and that about 33 buildings will have solar installations; DCO projects more than 10 megawatts of systems will be turned on and operating by July, subject to permission-to-operate from the utility.
Burns said roughly 70% of the ESIP is complete and highlighted upgrades that include LED lighting, roofing with 15-year warranties, a new energy-management system and targeted indoor-air-quality and cooling installations at four high schools. He also described a project-labor agreement and said the major construction work was publicly bid and awarded.
Board members asked how savings would be validated and whether there would be a year-end reconciliation; Burns said the ESIP includes an energy-savings guarantee and that the district's business office would coordinate an updated model to show realized savings. He also noted that the district had received more rebate funding than initially modeled from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, improving the program's financial position.
Why it matters: the ESIP is intended to generate guaranteed energy savings to fund capital items without direct, immediate cost to taxpayers; the program's performance will affect future budget flexibility and facility conditions.
The board did not vote on the ESIP during the presentation; the contractor said he will return to present updated modeling and to coordinate with the district on final permission-to-operate filings and public documentation posted to the district website.
