Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 18, 1993 TAG: 9305180277
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke County would pay a contractor $2.1 million over the next decade to install efficient lights, heat pumps and controls in school and county buildings. Estimates show the county would save $2.2 million on its energy bills.
In effect, the whole thing would cost nothing.
But Windsor Hills Supervisor Lee Eddy wanted to know if the gift horse had any teeth.
Eddy, an electrical engineer by trade, sifted through the fine print and discovered school officials had tossed in some pet projects with dubious potential for energy savings. Like $70,000 for new football stadium lights at Glenvar and William Byrd high schools.
Eddy also questioned plans to add new classroom lights and ventilation systems without taking into account the comfort of students and teachers.
For instance, fluorescent bulbs installed at some elementary schools would be more energy-efficient, but they would fall short of illuminating classrooms to current state standards. And new heat pumps at Cave Spring High School are not designed to pump more fresh air to the building.
"I have some serious questions about the net performance results," Eddy said when school officials presented the plan to the Board of Supervisors on May 11.
"If you're making major changes, you ought to do it right."
Other supervisors disagreed, saying the county would have to spend several hundred thousand dollars to address problems that otherwise would not pay for themselves through energy savings.
"I think you've got to do the best with what you have," Hollins District Supervisor Bob Johnson said.
Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve a lease/purchase agreement with Johnson Control to install energy management equipment in 23 school buildings and 10 county buildings. Eddy and Catawba District Supervisor Ed Kohinke dissented.
This is the fourth - and largest - energy savings program that Roanoke County has undertaken since 1985.
Johnson Control has guaranteed that energy savings will offset the cost of new lights, boilers and computerized systems that control temperatures in buildings.
Homer Duff, director of facilities and operations for Roanoke County schools, said some items - such as football stadium lights - were included even though the county could not recoup the costs in 10 years.
"If I came in there and asked for $70,000 for the [football lights], it probably would not get done," Duff said.
Johnson Control will add more efficient light bulbs in some older classrooms. But in most cases the new bulbs will not put out light to meet a standard - known as 70 foot candles - that the state requires for classrooms built today.
Duff said county officials did not calculate how much it would have cost to bring all classrooms up to the standard for new construction. He added that his office has not received any complaints about insufficient lighting.
"The lighting will be better after we make these changes, but it's still not going to meet the 70 foot candles."
by CNB