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The Eric Ryan Corporation recently secured nearly $200,000 worth of grants for energy efficiency upgrades for two local municipalities. The grants were part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and were administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The recipients of the grants were the City of New Castle and the City of Aliquippa.
The Eric Ryan Corporation (ERC) had key roles in the successful grant process for these municipalities. On the front end of the program, ERC researched grant requirements, assisted in energy surveys and secured quotes from vendors for many of the projects. ERC then filled out the grant application and followed with the proper state officials to ensure applications were in process. Upon award of the grants, ERC is currently assisting in securing contracts with the vendors, making sure projects are implemented in a timely manner and maintaining communication between the state and municipality with monthly reports at a minimum. ERC will also be tracking energy and dollar savings for these projects through the Energy Star website. Tom Stoner, City Administrator for the City of Aliquippa, appreciated ERC’s work. “We would like to commend the Eric Ryan Corporation for their assistance on preparing the grant application and for their ongoing support,” said Stoner.
According to Chad Ubry, President of the Energy Services Division at ERC, the timing was right for ERC to be involved in this process. “This was a great opportunity for us to work with municipalities who are facing challenges in these difficult economic times. The projects will provide a nice financial boost for the cities as well as provide additional work for the local vendors who will be providing products and services in relation to the grants.” “We are very pleased that we could be of assistance in securing these grants, and are looking forward to future opportunities with everyone involved in the process.”
For the City of New Castle, the grant amount was $142,362 and covered purchase and installation of energy efficient lighting at several facilities. At the City Administration building, firehall and Cascade Park buildings, indoor lighting will be replaced with energy efficient lights and ballasts. Outdated metal halide lights in the city parking garage and public works buildings will be replaced with LED products, which last much longer and produce higher quality of lighting. Overall, the new lights will increase efficiency, lumens and lighting quality, as well as atmosphere and safety for employees and the community in general who utilize these facilities on a daily basis. The lighting upgrades together are projected to save over $41,000 annually in energy and maintenance costs. The energy savings is projected to be 351,000 kwh annually as well.
For the City of Aliquippa, the upgrades also include lighting projects, as well as replacement of an outdated boiler in the City Administration building. The total amount of the grant for the City of Aliquippa was $42,678. Tom Stoner, City Administrator was very pleased to receive this grant. “This grant will have a major impact to the City in several different ways,” according to Stoner. “First, an antiquated boiler at the City Building that consistently breaks down will be replaced, saving us money in regards to maintenance” The boiler will be replaced with a newer 80% efficient model, saving the city 103 MCF of natural gas usage annually, resulting in $1,300 in annual savings.
On the lighting side, LED products will be installed at the firehall, replacing several metal halide lights. Additionally, CFL and T8 bulbs and new energy efficient ballasts will be retrofitted in the city building, firehall, street works building and police station. Together the lighting upgrades will save the City of Aliquippa over $10,300 annually in energy and maintenance costs. The energy savings is projected to be 86,200 kwh. According to Stoner, “The retrofitting of the lighting replacement in all City owned buildings will enable us to reduce costs and to make each building more energy efficient. Because Aliquippa is an Act 47 distressed community, these improvements would not have been possible without the grant from DEP.”
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