[June 17, 2011] Saucon Valley to pay now for energy savings later Tweet Jun 17, 2011 (The Morning Call - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Saucon Valley School District will pay $1.6 million to save $3.5 million in energy costs over the next 15 years. The school board voted 7-1 Tuesday night to tap into the money from its capital projects fund for a guaranteed energy savings contract with Johnson Controls Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County. The company will replace or upgrade parts of the district's lighting, heating, cooling and water systems at its three schools. If Saucon Valley doesn't reach its targeted energy savings, Johnson Controls will have to pay back the difference. Most of the work needed to be done eventually anyway, said Joe Solomon, president of Provident Energy Consulting in Media, Delaware County. Solomon said the work will start this summer and should be completed by the end of the calendar year. Johnson Controls must present the district with a report that demonstrates the energy savings, and Provident will analyze the data to ensure its accuracy, Solomon said. Superintendant Sandra Fellin said the contract is an example of the district needing to spend in order to save. The district also considered switching to a four-day summer workweek to save energy but results from a test over Memorial Day weekend were not available in time to make a decision. Though School Director Sandra Miller supported the contract but said she would have preferred taking the money from the district's savings, which has about $2 million in the uncommitted fund balance. The capital projects fund has about $3.1 million, Fellin said. Charles Bartolet, the lone board member to vote against the contract, said he didn't want to spend money until bids come back for the planned renovations to its football stadium. School Director Ralph Puerta was absent. [email protected] 610-820-6168 To see more of The Morning Call, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mcall.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]