Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau today announced that $1.9 million has been awarded to 24 communities for clean energy projects, including 11 distressed counties.
“Clean Tennessee Energy Grants help our communities reduce costs, increase savings, waste less energy and promote clean air,” said Haslam. “I appreciate the efforts of these grant recipients whose work will continue to make Tennessee a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
The Clean Tennessee Energy Grant (CTEG) program provides financial assistance to municipal governments, county governments, utility districts and other entities created by statute. Awarded projects have demonstrated a plan to reduce air emissions, improve energy efficiency and create cost savings.
“We were pleased to offer this round of grant funding to communities that have not received support before or are identified as distressed by the Department of Economic and Community Development,” said Martineau. “From more cost-effective lighting systems to efficient heating and air units, these awards will enhance service to customers while minimizing operating costs for these entities, saving taxpayer dollars.”
Projects specifically focus on:
Cleaner alternative energy – biomass, geothermal, solar, wind; and Energy conservation – lighting, HVAC improvements, improved fuel efficiency, insulation, idling minimization.
These projects will help improve air quality by reducing sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen, hazardous air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Funding preference was given to distressed counties identified by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and counties that have not previously received CTEG funding. Twenty of the grantees have not received CTEG funding before. Additionally, awarded projects must have a simple payback of less than 10 years.
Funding comes from a 2011 Clean Air Act settlement with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Under the Consent Decree, Tennessee received $26.4 million to fund clean air programs in the state.
For more information about the CTEG program, visit http://tn.gov/environment/article/grants-clean-tennessee-energy-grants. A detailed list of grant recipients is below.
Grant Recipients
Recipient
County
Grant Amount
Project Description
Austin Peay State University
Montgomery
$200,000
Retrofit seven buildings with indoor LED lights, with a 50% CTEG match. The project will be implemented during the 2017-18 academic year. A portion of the monetary savings from the project will be held in a special account to fund future sustainability projects. Annual savings from the retrofits are estimated to be $55,000, 576,000 kWh in energy, and greenhouse gas reductions of 446 tons.
Bedford County Utility District
Bedford
$15,000
Replace existing fluorescent lighting within its water treatment plant building with new LED lighting, resulting in an estimated 198,000 kWh reduction and 139 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
City of Erin
Houston, Stewart and Montgomery
$65,000
Installation of variable frequency drives to the high service pump motors at the water treatment plant, and the replacement of existing fluorescent lighting with LED lights within the water treatment plant. It is estimated this will lead to a reduction of 431,534 kWh and 303 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
City of Jellico
Campbell
$20,000
Replace all interior lighting within the City Hall to LED light fixtures, resulting in an estimated 66% reduction in energy usage, annual savings of $6,945.33, and 66,146 kWh. The payback period would be 5.7 years with the incorporated professional service fees.
City of Lafayette
Macon
$10,208.50
Upgrade the performance and efficiency of the Lafayette Police Station by retrofitting lighting fixtures with LEDs, resulting in estimated savings of 63,352 kWh and $8,138 annually.
City of LaFollette Dept. of Parks and Recreation
Campbell
$100,000
Repairs to 24 A/C units in a community building, resulting in an estimated savings of $22,000 annually and 155 metric tons of carbon dioxide with an estimated payback of 9 years.
City of Maynardville
Union
$22,600
Replace existing lighting within City Hall with LED light fixtures, resulting in an estimated savings of 15,132 kWh annually, a 60% reduction from current usage. This will result in a 6.3 year payback. The City will also replace two independent HVAC systems with four smaller, higher efficiency units with an estimated savings of 5,647 kWh and 759 gallons of propane annually, with a 8.33 year payback.
City of Memphis
Shelby
$16,650
Retrofit of key lighting at all public buildings on the Lichterman Nature Center campus, a total of 460 bulbs, to LED, with an estimated savings of 68,959 kWh, 48.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide and $21,525 annually.
City of New Johnsonville
Humphreys
$62,500
Replace existing aerators at the New Johnsonville Wastewater Treatment plant with high efficiency aerators, resulting in an estimated savings of 17,582 kWh, 82.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide and $14,110 annually.
City of Tennessee Ridge
Houston
$58,900
Replacement of an existing pump, motor and starter assemblies at the Highway 147 Wastewater Lift Station as well as improvements that will focus on reducing energy consumption at the Tennessee Ridge Water Treatment Plant. Projects will result in an estimated savings of 76,000 kWh, 116,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and $12,000 annually.
Cocke County
Cocke
$19,095
Replace existing lighting in the Cocke County Courthouse to LEDs, resulting in an estimated savings of 10,145 kWh, 7.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide and $1,003 per month.
DeKalb County
DeKalb
$18,928
Retrofit lighting fixtures in the County Courthouse to LEDs, resulting in an estimated savings of 43,749 kWh and $5,955 annually. Convert lighting fixtures in the County Jail to LEDs, resulting in an estimated savings of 51,132 kWh or $5,319 annually.
Fayette County
Fayette
$66,530
Retrofit lighting in the Fayette County Justice Complex and the Courthouse to all LEDs. The complex upgrade would result in an estimated savings of 37,213 kWh and $5,350.86 annually with a payback of 6.87 years. The justice complex project would save 354,937 kWh and $26,716.62 annually with a payback of 5.12 years.
Grundy County
Grundy
$199,144
Install energy efficient retrofits to the community recreation facility. Remaining funds will replace fluorescent lights in the Grundy County Courthouse, the Grundy County Health Department, and the Grundy County University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Office building, resulting in an estimated savings of 456,436 kWh and 320.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Haywood County
Haywood
$232,623
Upgrades to the Haywood County Justice Center, Boys & Girls Club Gym, County Courthouse and Scott Community Center, including new LED lighting, a 50 kW solar array on the roof of the justice center, and 51 new water-sourced heat pump console units in the Courthouse. Total annual savings combined is predicted at $56,478, with a total lighting wattage reduction of 56% throughout. Solar on the justice center will offset annual utility bills with approximately 75,000 kWh. The new heat pump console units will be 21% more efficient than the existing units, saving 96,147 kWh annually. The utility bill for the courthouse is predicted to be reduced by $9,615 annually.
Lake County
Lake
$22,339
Installation of a 24.15 kW solar energy system at the Lake County EMS station, offsetting 60% of the facility's electrical usage by producing an estimated 31,959 kWh annually.
Macon County
Macon
$64,835
Improve efficiency of the County Courthouse, Criminal Justice Center, Sally Wells Fairground Building, and the EMS building in Lafayette. Replace lighting in the courthouse project to LEDs, resulting in an estimated savings of 49,206 kWh and $6,321 annually. Replace lighting in the Justice Center to LEDs, resulting in an savings of 173,299 kWh and $22,262 annually. Replace lighting in the EMS building to LEDs, resulting in an estimated savings of 84,834 kWh and $10,898 annually. Replace lighting in the Fairground Building to LEDs, resulting in an estimated savings of 30,228 kWh and $3,234 annually.
Marion County
Marion
$151,854
Improve efficiency of the Marion County Justice Center, Marion County Annex, County Courthouse, and the Election Commission Building. Upgrade lighting to LEDs, install a new closed circuit cooler, and new Energy Star rated windows. Total annual savings is estimated at $17,009 with a wattage reduction of 68.9% and a combined payback of 4.8 years.
McNairy County
McNairy
$172,381.50
Improve efficiency of the McNairy County Justice Center, Jack McConnico Memorial Library, UT Martin Extension, County Annex Building, County Courthouse, and the Ag. Extension and Head Start Learning Center. Upgrade lighting to LEDs and install a 50 kW solar project on the roof of the UT Martin Extension facility. Total annual savings is estimated at $52,957 with a wattage reduction of 70.3% and a combined payback of 3.1 years.
Morristown Housing Authority (MHA)
Hancock
$78,012
Remove existing electric furnaces and install new all-electric Energy Star heat pump systems including ducts, grills, programmable thermostats and accessories in 25 dwelling units in Sneedville. The MHA will also provide a duct blaster test to meet a 4% or less duct air loss. Total savings is estimated at $347,540 with an energy reduction of 3,756,780 kWh over the course of their lifespans (estimated 30 years or more).
Perry County
Perry
$93,950
Improve efficiencies at the county jail through the installation of an energy efficient VFI seamless roof system, upgrade lighting to LEDs, and replace three HVAC units that are situated on the roof and are approximately 15 years old and failing. The new units would be Energy Star rated and provide energy and maintenance cost savings.
Rhea County
Rhea
$110,000
Install energy efficient roofing, insulation and lighting to the Rhea County Courthouse/Annex. The asbestos tile roof will be replaced with a synthetic reflective slate that will replicate the original roof and offer better insulation. The T8 and T12 fluorescent lighting will be replaced with LEDs. Total savings is estimated at $23,366 and 275,282 kWh annually.
Sequatchie County
Sequatchie
$69,367
Reduce electrical usage and costs at the Sequatchie County Justice Center, County Courthouse and Sequatchie County Health Department through lighting upgrades to LEDs. Total savings is estimated at $42,645 with a wattage reduction of 62.4% and a reduction of approximately 412,022 kWh annually. The projects will achieve a combined payback of 1.5 years.
Union County
Union
$38,810
Upgrading HVAC units in the Union County Courthouse, resulting in estimated savings of 245,940 kWh in energy and $24,755 annually.
