Allen County press release:
DOE Awards Allen County $404,500 Energy Block Grant
Money to be used for building projects and hybrid vehicles
A $404,500 grant awarded to the Allen County Commissioners will be used to make County-owned buildings and vehicles more energy efficient.
The Commissioners’ Office received notification of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy. The grant covers a three-year period of performance and represents the entire amount of funding sought by the County.
$70,000 of the grant will be used to conduct energy audits at 18 County-owned buildings which officials have determined possess certain energy inefficiencies. They include the City-County Building, the Allen County Courthouse, the Highway Department Building, the County Jail, Youth Services Center and the County Water Treatment Plant.
“We anticipate using the energy audit, coupled with discussions among departments, to help us carry out our energy efficiency and conservation strategy,” said Commissioner Bill Brown, President of the Board of Commissioners.
Once the results of the audit are known, the County will use $284,500 of the grant to fund a number of energy efficient and cost-effective projects at those buildings. Those projects are expected to include lighting upgrades, window and exit upgrades and heating and air conditioning unit replacements.
The remaining $50,000 of the grant will be used to replace five vehicles in the County Building Department fleet with hybrid vehicles. The switch to hybrid vehicles is expected to provide better gas mileage to and from inspection sites and emit fewer pollutants into the atmosphere.
“The fact we received the entire grant request is a tribute to our staff, in particular Beth Garber, our governmental affairs liaison, who wrote the grant application,” Brown added.
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