Sebring Partners On Energy Savings

SEBRING - Five city buildings will soon be retrofitted with technology to reduce its $65,778 annual energy bill, and the city isn't pay a dime to make it happen.

Ewald Probst, owner of Energy Saving Systems, said his company will supply and install energy-saving equipment at their cost and will share in the energy bill savings over a five-year period to recoup the costs.

The Lake Placid company has carried out this type of agreement with Highlands County for 10 of its buildings and other national companies, such as Frito Lay, Pepsi Cola and Johnson & Johnson. Avon Park City Council also recently approved a contract to retrofit six of its municipal buildings.

The retrofit usually saves about 20-30 percent on energy bills, Probst said, but he has seen savings as high as 63 percent.

The city pays nothing for the new technology and receives 25 percent of the savings generated for five years. Energy Savings Systems receives 75 percent of the savings for five years.

"We put our money where our mouth is, and if we don't get savings, we don't get paid," Probst said.
After five years, the city keeps all the savings.

"The only person who is ultimately paying is the electric company," Probst said.
Sebring currently has 1940s technology in the five buildings to be included in the retrofit, which are the Utilities Building, Civic Center, Waste Water Collection, Public Works Building and City Hall.

Assistant City Administrator Scott Noethlich said the Solid Waste Building and police and fire stations will not be included because they have been newly renovated and already have energy-efficient technology.

The retrofit, which will replace the 1940s technology with energy-efficient equipment, will take about three to four months, Probst said.

Interior lights will be retrofitted, occupancy sensors will be installed and exterior lights will be replaced with energy-efficient lighting with sensors and timers. Programmable thermostats will be installed, and air-conditioning units will be revised for energy-improvement technologies. Window tinting, window insulators or weather stripping may also be applied.

Cool Roof technology, which makes the whole building about 30 percent more efficient in heating and cooling, may also be applied. Because the return on this investment would take longer to recoup, Energy Savings Systems would receive 75 percent of the energy bill savings for that building for seven years.

City council member Bud Whitlock said the agreement seems like good deal for all parties.
"It sounds like a no-brainer to me," Whitlock said.

Energy-savings calculations are determined from a baseline year before the retrofit was completed. The kilowatt hours from after the retrofit are compared with the baseline year, and the difference in kilowatt hours is multiplied by the cost of kilowatt hours on the current electric bill.

Probst said this methodology ensures the fluctuating price per kilowatt hour does not influence the savings.