City to receive energy assessment

By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The City of Wabash will undergo an energy assessment, with the possibility of powering some aspects of the city with solar power.

The City Council unanimously approved the assessment on March 27, following a presentation from Rick Anderson of Veregy.

Indiana is a regulated energy state, he explained, meaning that residents can only by power from one agency, while surrounding states are deregulated and residents can choose from whom to buy energy.

Duke Energy, from whom Indiana receives power, increased its rates by 20 percent, though it recently announced it was scaling back some of that increase.

Never-the-less, the increase caused energy costs at the city’s wastewater treatment plant to increase 70 percent.

“What we’re real- ly trying to help you all do with our programs is get a little more energy independent and not be so dependent on utility companies,” Anderson said.

Mayor Scott Long told council that the increase cost the city an additional $6,000 to $7,000 at the wastewater treatment plant.

Anderson’s company looks at such things as heating and air conditioning systems, lighting, “anything that’s sucking up utilities.” It also does “quite a bit of solar,” he continued.

There is currently a federal program that will provide 30 to 50 percent return from the federal government for changing to solar, geothermal or batteries.

So, if the city would put in $1 million into a solar operation, it would receive $300,000 the following year from the federal government.

“If you’re going to do any of this, now’s the time to do it,” Anderson said.

He stressed that any change would not mean a big solar farm locating in the city.

“This is all associated with a meter and a facility,” Anderson said. “Wastewater is your biggest utility user in the city, but we would look at any building or facility that we could possibly do it.”

Veregy would conduct an assessment at no cost to the city.

“We would get some utility information and we would also do a walk-around,”

Anderson said.

“The mayor has told me you guys have done a fair amount of lighting and HVAC in your facilities, but we would look at things that maybe you haven’t done.

We also would look at the solar situation.”

Following the assessment, Anderson would provide a report of recommendations which the council can accept or reject. If accepted,

Anderson would seek a request for qualifications from various companies, from which the city would choose which firm to work with.

The company selected would, in essence, act as a general contractor and would seek bids from various firms to do the actual work.

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