County Given Green Grant

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   Navajo County government is the recipient of a $473,900 clean energy grant that will be used to replace old heating and cooling units at the Navajo County Complex in Holbrook, and to install high efficiency heating and cooling, as well as solar panels, at the new health department building in Show Low.
   “We’re going to divide it between north county and south county,” said Deputy Finance Director Mary Springer.
   Approximately $180,000 of the funding, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will be used to make energy efficiency improvements at the complex and other north county buildings. At the complex, HVAC units will be replaced with new, low-energy models.
   “They’re energy hogs and obsolete,” Springer said of the existing units.
   According to Springer, the new units will not only reduce energy use and utility bills, but are also expected to cost less to maintain.
   Much of the fluorescent lighting at the complex, as well as in other county buildings in Holbrook and Winslow, will also be replaced. High-efficiency electronic ballasts will be installed along with energy-efficient lighting.
   The nearly $294,000 to be spent on south county projects will be put toward incorporating some of the latest energy saving technology in the construction of the new health department building in Show Low.
   The building will include solar panels to provide much of the necessary electricity, as well as a highly efficient chiller system to provide heating and cooling for the building. Springer noted that the funding does not pay for the entire chiller system, but does pay for the difference in cost between standard HVAC units and the chiller system. The county hopes to reap the benefits of lower utility costs while reducing energy use at the new building.
   Springer noted that the funding is part of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, and the amount received is based on population.
   “The Department of Energy offered these formula-based block grants,” she noted. “It’s a certain amount of money based on the size of the population.”
   County officials agreed to apply for the funding and were successful. According to Springer, some funding for private entities is also available, but the county is not involved in that application process.
   According to Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick’s office, Navajo County was one of only four Arizona agencies to receive funding in this round of grants.