Patchogue Village officials have unanimously decided to go green.
Earlier this week, the village board accepted a contract with Johnson Controls energy audit with an agreement for a dollar-neutral energy savings project at no cost to the taxpayer with even- tual cost savings.
Ultimately, a loan will be taken out and paid from energy savings as an escrow account of sorts, with upgrades including solar panels adding energy efficiency to the village, which typically pays close to half a million dollars to PSEG each year.
Christopher Fitzsimmons presented the findings and details of the project to the board on Monday’s Feb. 8 meeting.
The construction period on the project, he said, would take approximately 18 months and a bill on it would essentially not be due until completion.
THE PROJECT
The report included the potential of seven village-owned facilities in need of essential infrastructure upgrades, village-wide LED street lighting implementation, cost-reducing HVAC upgrades, village renewable energy ini- tiatives and major climate action and global stewardship.
The goals of the project, Fitzsimmons said, are to overall improve the safety, security and comfort of environments, reduce utility and operational costs, address deferred maintenance costs, leverage utility incentives and rebates, modernize system and define and sup- port renewable energy.
WISH LIST
Wish list items include: roof and HVAC replacement at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts as well as air quality control; duct sealing and electric vehicle charging stations; roof reinforcement and rooftop solar panels at the pool beach club; oil to gas conversion; new gas boilers and record room dehumidifier at Village Hall; and additional electric vehicle charging stations at 380 Bay, Parks and Recreation.
SOLAR CARPORT AT THEATRE
A solar carport in the Patchogue Theatre parking lot has also been proposed with an array size equal to 259.2KW, averaging an annual revenue stream of $32,000. The project will also provide shade and shelter for patrons and residents with canopy lighting included.
PROJECT METRICS
The annual lease cost is about $327,000 per year with about $187,843 in energy savings. Once paid off, the units would be owned by the village and are expected to last well over 30 years.
The total project comes at an approximate $5.2 million cost, with projected savings of $8.2 mil- lion over 25 years. The project would be funded by an escrow account loan at a net-zero cost to the taxpayer with a 2.2 percent interest rate.
Village Business Improvement District executive director Dennis Smith was thanked for spearheading the project on the village side and trustee Joe Keyes for opening up the village to the possibilities through his PEP committee.
Should their cost-savings projections fall short, Keyes emphasized, the company will write a check for the difference and also figure out what is wrong.
The project report costs the village approximately $55,000, which will be included in the total cost, with Johnson performing all upgrades. The village signed the project development agreement in October. Johnson Controls International is a global company that specializes in building service and energy solutions.
“It’s a single, one-stop shop,” said mayor Paul Pontieri, pleased with the project. “This is for the young families and for the future of the village.”
“It’s a project that will be paying dividends for decades to come,” added Smith. “It will zero out electric bills on buildings with solar panels and pay dividends to the environment as well.”
Next steps include reviewing the contract over the next week or so, closing on a loan by the end of the month and proceeding into March. Project implementation is expected by the spring and summer of this year.
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