MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Editor
Posted: Sunday, July 25, 2010 2:11 am

Murfreesboro City Hall is about to get a little greener.

Thanks to a $961,100 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“This is a big deal for taxpayers because it’s ultimately the taxpayers who pay the (utility) bills,” Murfreesboro Spokesman Chris Shofner said.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant is a stimulus program to help local governments become greener by encouraging conservation.

“One allowed use of this money, among many others, is to boost energy efficiency in government buildings like our own City Hall,” Shofner said.

Murfreesboro plans to use its slice of the pie to replace the aging central heat and air unit in city hall, as well as upgrading the lighting in city hall and hopefully the Civic Plaza parking garage.

“We’re not just going to replace the equipment,” Murfreesboro Building Codes Director Gary Whitaker explained, “but we’ll replace it with energy efficient equipment.”

That new equipment will also save taxpayers a pretty penny.

In an average year the city annually spends $76,300, or 63 percent of its electric bill, on simply heating and cooling the 20-year-old city hall.

In total, the city pays more than $120,000 per year for electricity in city hall, which doesn’t even count the annual average of $108,313.62 to light the Civic Plaza parking garage, according to an energy audit provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“They told us this was a worthwhile thing to pursue,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker said the city’s electric bill is so high, partly because the building is getting old.

Built in 1987, city hall’s aging central heat and air system is very inefficient and breaks down frequently.

In fact the system is so old parts have to be manufactured specially for it, which is expensive and time consuming, Whitaker said.

By replacing the system, the city can save thousands per year in operation and maintenance costs. The city will also replace all city hall’s mercury thermometers with digital ones, which are more accurate and programmable to increase energy conservation.

“It’s good timing,” Whitaker said, “and we’re taking it.”

The city also plans to replace the lights in city hall with more energy-efficient lights, like light-emitting diodes. LED lights produce more light than incandescent or florescent lights with less energy.

Whitaker said the lights will also be placed on motion sensors to increase conservation.

Replacing the lights will cost around $30,000, but the savings will pay back the investment in less than four years.

If enough money is left over after the upgrades to city hall, Whitaker hopes to replace the 885 150-watt, sodium-vapor lights in the Civic Plaza parking garage.

Replacing these lights, or simply turning some of them off, could save the city up to $50,000 per year, according to the TVA energy audit.

Murfreesboro City Hall’s greening should begin in October once all the plans have been finalized.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.