Cambria Heights School Board President Ken Vescovi speaks at the district's ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday at the Elementary School in Carrolltown with his grandson, fifth grader William Petre. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights officials cut the ribbon on energy and sustainability improvements Thursday outside the elementary school's library. They were joined by local and state officials, as well as members of the fifth grade class. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights High School student Aubrey Ranck gives an ice cream treat to fifth grader Riley Couturiaux at the conclusion of Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony. Schneider Electric purchased ice cream for the entire elementary school. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights fifth grader Michael Hendrix tests his solar racer outside during Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony where district officials celebrated the completion of major solar energy and sustainability improvements to the elementary school building. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights School Board President Ken Vescovi speaks at the district's ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday at the Elementary School in Carrolltown with his grandson, fifth grader William Petre. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights officials cut the ribbon on energy and sustainability improvements Thursday outside the elementary school's library. They were joined by local and state officials, as well as members of the fifth grade class. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights High School student Aubrey Ranck gives an ice cream treat to fifth grader Riley Couturiaux at the conclusion of Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony. Schneider Electric purchased ice cream for the entire elementary school. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Cambria Heights fifth grader Michael Hendrix tests his solar racer outside during Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony where district officials celebrated the completion of major solar energy and sustainability improvements to the elementary school building. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
CARROLLTOWN — When Cambria Heights Elementary School students returned to school last Thursday, the district’s new rooftop solar array was already running and generating electricity for their classrooms, Superintendent Ken Kerchenske said.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, district officials celebrated the completion of various energy and sustainability projects they’ve pursued over the last two years — including the new rooftop array, replacing the school’s boilers, upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and adding energy-efficient LED lighting.
The projects were funded, in part, through nearly $1.5 million in state grants the district received — a $1 million Public School Facility Improvement Grant and a $437,522 Solar for Schools program grant awarded by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority.
Larry Myers, Schneider Electric’s northeast sales team leader, said the rooftop array is estimated to generate about 215,000 kilowatt hours per year. The array is designed to basically offset the electric load that will be generated from having air conditioning in the building, he said.
“We’re actually driving the school to net zero electric use. It’s going to satisfy about 80% to 90% of the electric load,” Myers said, adding the district’s budget should be reduced by about $2.5 million over the next 20 years due to the energy cost savings at the school.
“It’s an efficient use of taxpayer dollars,” Myers said, noting two-thirds of the roughly $6 million was funded through either state grants, federal monies and by offsetting costs.
Kerchenske said the district was able to install the panels in time to get federal tax credits. It’s estimated about 40% of the district’s cost will be reimbursed from the federal government after one year, he said, noting Cambria Heights owns its solar panels.
The district’s payback period — the amount of time it takes to recover the cost of an investment — was initially believed to be about eight or nine years. However, district officials believe it might be as quick as four years now, not only because the solar panels are efficient, but because prices have gone up so much since Cambria Heights started the project, Kerchenske said.
“As energy costs have skyrocketed, this is really going to help us offset those costs,” Kerchenske said.
Cam Willison of Envinity, one of the project’s partners, said the array has already produced enough energy to power a house for an entire year in its first week in operation.
“That is one week of generation, and we’ve got all the weeks in the year and the whole life of the system,” Willison said.
Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky, a 1983 graduate of Cambria Heights, credited Kerchenske and the Cambria Heights school board of directors for preparing the district’s children for a changing world.
“Projects like this provide an opportunity to show students that innovation, conservation and fiscal responsibility go hand in hand,” Chernisky said, adding communities don’t have to be large to think big and find solutions that make sense for the district, its students and taxpayers.
“Cambria Heights School District is helping to make Cambria County a great place to live, work, volunteer, invest and play,” Chernisky said.
Commissioner Keith Rager noted the county is about halfway through pursuing a solar project to offset costs at the Cambria County Prison.
“I don’t think this is a party issue,” Rager said, adding he will always support solar energy projects. “Solar makes sense, and if you can cut your energy costs and keep things down, that’s a good thing for your community.”
Kerchenske thanked state Rep. Jim Rigby, R-Cambria/Somerset, state Rep. Dallas Kephart, R-Cambria/Clearfield, and state Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Cambria, for their support in helping the district receive state funding for the projects.
Schneider Electric hosted solar energy activities with the school’s students ahead of the ceremony. (See related story)
Fourth graders built solar-powered bugs, and fifth graders built racer kits in the school’s cafeteria while learning about renewable energy.
Schneider Electric also sponsored ice cream treats for all of the school’s students — grades pre-K through fifth grade.
Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.
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