(Reuters) - Two and half years ago, Steve Stewart erected a 100-foot windmill at his Barstow, California home. Stewart is no eco-crusader, but he does know a good deal when he hears it.

Although the windmill cost $53,000, Stewart paid only $32,000 thanks to state tax incentives. His electric bill has zeroed out from $2,000 annually before, and most months he can even sell back surplus power to his local utility, Southern California Edison, netting as much as $500 per year.

"For me, it was merely a financial calculation," says Stewart, who estimates it will take about seven years to fully pay off his investment. "I wasn't out to save the planet, just to save myself some money."

Homeowners across the country are doing similar math. Soaring energy costs, generous government and utility incentives plus the falling price of technology are leading more Americans to replace their conventional power or heating sources with renewable ones.

An unseasonably warm winter has brought no relief to the price of home heating oil which has hit a national average of $4 per gallon in February, topping gasoline prices in some states. That's nearly 50 cents more than a year ago.

"Typically what motivates homeowners to remodel is comfort and quality of life," says Brad Queen, energy division director at the Colorado-based Center for Resource Conservation. "But it is the economics, the financials, that can ultimately make the case."

The U.S. market for solar energy systems grew by 140 percent in 2011 as costs dropped by two-fifths, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Today, there are 1.5 million U.S. households using solar water heating, and enough solar energy available to power 750,000 homes. Natural gas prices are at a 10-year low, and in 2010 more than half of all new single-family homes were built to use natural gas.

Still, retrofitting an existing home for better efficiency can cost from $6,000 to more than $100,000 depending on the ambitiousness of the plans. But what, and when, will energy renovations ultimately pay back? What are the financing options available? Will your home's resale value go up? These are just some of the calculations to consider before embarking on your next home-improvement project.

ENERGY AUDIT IS FIRST STEP

For most property holders, installing solar panels or a wood-pellet stove are not going to bring the highest return on their investment. An energy audit is the best way to understand what will.

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Green energy puts green in homeowner wallets

Concepcion Carrier Airconditioning Corp. (CCAC) has generated P5 billion in sales in 2011 with a dominant domestic market share of 45 percent.

This was reported by CCAC CEO Raul Joseph Concepcion as the company celebrates its 50-year milestone as the number one cooling solutions provider in the country.

Pioneering cooling solutions manufacturer Carrier has been declared the Philippines’ best-selling aircon brand of 2010 at the 7th annual GfK No. 1 Awards, a leading market research company GfK aims to recognize the top performing brands in several consumer product categories across Asia. Carrier emerged as the country’s top air conditioner brand based on GfK’s retail audit data as well as the brand’s unit sales in the category.

The win is Carrier’s 6th award from GfK Philippines, having swept all the years that the GfK No. 1 Awards featured an air conditioner category. A renowned brand worldwide, Carrier is exclusively distributed locally by Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Company, the premier name in cooling solutions in the country.

Formed in January 1998, CCAC brings together two leaders in the air conditioning industry: Carrier Corporation of the United States and Concepcion Industries, Inc. of the Philippines.

In just a few years, CCAC expanded from manufacturing window room air conditioners to becoming the market leader in virtually all categories of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment and services in the country.

CCAC brings to the Philippine market Carrier Corporation's long tradition of innovation and product excellence. It has the Philippines' largest air conditioning facility that makes an wide range of products of outstanding quality, and is recognized by customers abroad, who source from it products proudly Philippine-made.

Carrier products are designed in engineering centers and manufacturing facilities located worldwide. Spread across six continents, Carrier's global operations make it the largest manufacturer of air conditioning, heating, ventilation and refrigeration products. It is supported by a vast network of distributors, dealers, retailers, and technicians who sell, install and service Carrier products in over 170 countries.(BCM)

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Concepcion Carrier Posts P5-B Sales

If someone could tell you how to build a home with practically no more money than a conventional heating and cooling system, and you'd have no heating or cooling bills, would you do it? If they could then tell you how to eliminate your electric bills also and end up with a "net zero" home, would you do it?

STAFF PHOTO BY JOE SARNO

Located on Route 23 in Pequannock, Solar & More has definite ideas on how to curb your energy costs.

One would hope so, because this is all possible now, and you really don't have any out of pocket costs because it's part of the cost of the house.

A geothermal heating and cooling system works off the constant 54 degree temperature of the earth.

With heat pumps that take heat out of the house in the summer and bring it into the house in the winter, you have an air distribution system that is the most comfortable of any heating or cooling system there is. If dry heat bothers you with asthma, bronchitis or allergies, geothermal will reduce those symptoms and you'll be much more comfortable.

So here's how it can work. Contracting for a geothermal system with Solar & More will give you the opportunity to save 30% on your system and your home's insulation and ductwork. How do we do this? Solar & More will design and include the home's air handling and ductwork into the geothermal system. We then provide the spray-in foam insulation as part of the geothermal system also. This does two things; it increases the insulation from the home's "envelope" (the insulated living area of the house) and reduces the size of the geothermal system because of this extra insulation. Spray in insulation is much more efficient than standard mat insulations provided with most homes.

What's all this mean? Basically, you get a geothermal system for the same amount as a traditional heating and cooling system. And, you get a much tighter home with fewer drafts and the most comfortable heat and cooling system you can buy!

So now you've finished building the house and you're in. What happens next?

You've reduced your heating and cooling bills by up to 70%! You also cover about 70% of your domestic hot water bills with this geothermal system as we install a "desuperheater" that transfers heat from the heat pumps to a hot water heater. What could be better!

Tell your architect to be sure he considers a geothermal system. If he doesn't, we've got an architect who will design this for you and it won't cost you any more than a traditional design. If he's really good, he'll also give you a south facing roof for some solar panels. This could eliminate the remaining portion of your electric bill to give you that "net zero" home…no electric, no heating and no cooling costs…for the life of your home. That's energy efficiency!

Tom Ferraro owns Solar & More, a retail showroom in Pompton Plains, NJ where you can go to see and learn about solar, geothermal and other renewable energy systems. For more information, see their website at http://www.solarnmorestore.com, or call 800-782-0241.

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Geothermal can save you big bucks

Duke asks to modify energy-saving incentives

Duke Energy this week asked for state approval to launch or tweak three energy-saving programs for residential customers.

The changes, which need approval by the N.C. Utilities Commission, include:

An appliance-recycling plan would offer customers $30 and free pick-up if they give up old, inefficient refrigerators or freezers.

Additions to Duke's Smart $aver program would offer customers incentives to make their homes more energy-efficient. The program would offer up to $400 to homeowners who install attic insulation, $200 for duct sealing, $350 for duct insulation, $60 for a central air-conditioner tuneup and $125 for a heat pump tuneup.

The program already offers $200 incentives to customers who install higher-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

Under a new free program, Duke would proactively seek out customers in low-income neighborhoods. Based on energy-saving needs, it would offer a menu of conservation measures such as weather-stripping and compact fluorescent bulbs.

Costs of the programs would be paid for by an existing energy-efficiency rider, which adds $2.35 a month to typical residential bills. Bruce Henderson

Pisgah Community Bank gets orders from FDIC

The FDIC has ordered Asheville-based Pisgah Community Bank to raise capital or find a buyer as its capital levels "continue to deteriorate," according to a directive released Friday.

The bank, classified as "significantly undercapitalized," has been under an agreement with the FDIC since August 2010, but the capital plans the bank's management team has submitted have not been adequate, the FDIC said.

In the fourth quarter, the bank lost $3 million and its Tier 1 capital ratio remained below 3 percent, according to data from the FDIC.

The bank is now ordered to either find a buyer, sell new common stock, sell preferred stock, or receive direct contributions from the bank's directors or shareholders. Andrew Dunn

Political funds disclosure has support on SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission should require corporations to disclose their political spending so that shareholders can see how their money is being used, one of the agency's five commissioners said Friday.

Commissioner Luis Aguilar, a Democrat, urged the agency to address the fallout from the 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, lifting restrictions on corporate expenditures.

Without mandatory disclosures, "it is impossible to have any corporate accountability or oversight," Aguilar said in a speech prepared for a conference in Washington.

Aguilar has a history of criticizing what he sees as the agency's shortcomings. Addressing the same conference last year, he said he wished for a world in which SEC enforcement actions had obvious deterrent value. Washington Post

New data, adjusted data show trouble in home sales

Sales of new homes dipped in January, but the final quarter of 2011 was stronger than first estimated.

The government said Friday that new-home sales fell 0.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 321,000 homes.

The gains came after the government upwardly revised October, November and December's figures. December's annual sales pace of 324,000 was the highest in a year.

Even with more sales, only 304,000 new homes were sold in 2011 - the fewest on record dating back to 1963. AP

New pricing strategy adds to loss at J.C. Penney

J.C. Penney Co. reported a loss of $87 million in the fourth quarter in part because of costs related to its new pricing strategy that involves ditching sales for everyday low prices.

Under new CEO Ron Johnson, a former Apple Inc. executive, the retailer is overhauling just about every aspect of its business, including pricing.

Penney is eliminating hundreds of discounts a year in favor of a three-tier strategy: everyday prices that are about 40 percent less than what they were a year ago, monthlong sales on select items and clearance events during the first and third Friday of each month. AP

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Duke asks to modify energy-saving incentives

We recently saw the European Commission recognize 27 IBM Data Centers for energy efficiency. The commission, the executive body of the European Union, was going by the EU’s Code of Conduct for Data Centers, and we’re not 100 percent sure what requirements that entails, but we do know it’s A Good Thing.

In fact, as IBM officials said in a press statement, the honor represents “the largest portfolio of data centers from a single company to receive the recognition.”The idea is to reduce energy consumption “in a cost-effective manner without decreasing mission critical data center functions,” IBM officials said, using certain established best practices.

Great. What might those be?

Speaking broadly, IBM officials rattled off a list of general areas where one can find energy efficiencies in contact centers — energy-efficient hardware, free cooling, cold aisle containment and the like.

A bit more specifically, IBM officials said, one factor that weighed heavily in their winning the EU award is that many of their data centers support cloud computing. This isn’t only to save energy, of course, as the cloud is in high demand these days for its efficiencies, flexibility and profitability and other good common-sense business reasons.

Analytics are a huge part of IBM’s energy-saving success. The company uses Mobile Measurement Technology, an in-house product of IBM Research, using “thousands of sensors to record and analyze temperatures and air flow to detect hot and cold spots,” company officials explain, to get energy flow insight leading to the intelligence that lets IBM “efficiently cool data centers with a high measure of security and reliability and significant reduction in cost.”

The company believes in replacing older hardware equipment with more energy efficient servers, consolidating servers: fewer and more efficient servers = lower energy usage.

So that’s Big Blue’s overall approach. Solid, basic principles at work: Use the most energy-efficient servers you can find because they’ll save you money in the long run; consolidate your server needs; use analytics to find where you can cut down on costs within the data center itself; and take advantage of cloud computing where possible.

Bully for IBM. Does anybody else use a different approach?

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) issued a white paper titled “Best Practices Guide For Energy-Efficient Data Center Design” in March 2011. It addresses energy efficiency across the enterprise, breaking down its recommendations in seven areas.

Information Technology (IT) Systems

This is a good place to start because “IT equipment loads can account for over half of the entire facility’s energy use.” The white paper identifies rack servers as a major culprit, saying they account for “the largest portion of the IT energy load in a typical data center,” taking up lots of space, and drawing full power even when running at 20 percent use or lower, which according to the paper is, in fact, most of the time.

The FEMP recommends looking for servers with variable speed fans, as they can adjust to how much power is needed to actually cool the server. Throttle-down devices are helpful as well, reducing energy consumption on idle processors via “power management.” Use multi-core processor chips where possible, and consolidate your IT system redundancies — “consider one power supply per server rack,” instead of power supplies for each server.

Grouping equipment with similar heat load densities and temperature requirements means you can cool them more efficiently, the paper says, pointing to virtualization as another way to find efficiency.

Environmental Conditions

Yes, these matter. The FEMP cites the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and Network Equipment Building System, which has published recommendations for “environmental envelopes” for inlet air for IT equipment. Done correctly, it can help reduce overall energy consumption, and the recommendations are presented in the paper with cool charts and graphs we really can’t do justice to here.

But bear in mind that variable speed fans in servers are guided by internal server temperature, so if your data center’s using inlet air conditions higher than what’s recommended, well, the fans aren’t going to do the best job they can saving you money.

Air Management

Another important yet frequently overlooked area. Basically, what this refers to is the way you configure the center to get rid of as much air mixing between cool and hot as possible. You have lower operating costs if the hot air being expelled from the equipment isn’t recirculated to the machines again. The cooling air needs to be delivered to the servers as efficiently as possible.

No, it’s not a horribly sexy aspect of data center efficiency, but the money you save is.

The paper talks about cable congestion reducing total air flow, and allowing hot spots to develop. It recommends greater under-floor clearance, of at least two feet for raised-floor installations, and having a “cable management strategy” to minimize air flow obstructions, with possibly a cable mining program, involving the removal of abandoned or inoperable cables. Aisle separation’s a good idea too, with cool air aisles on one side of a row of servers and hot on the other. Those flexible plastic strips you see at supermarket refrigeration sections can really help here.

Cooling Systems

Probably one of the first things you thought of when you thought of data center energy efficiency, but as we hope you’ve seen by now, other considerations play a considerable part. The most common type of system here for smaller data centers would be a direct expansion (DX) system, CRAC units readily available off the shelf. Rooftop units are not pricey and work well, too.

Central air handler systems provide better performance, the paper notes, observing that they can “improve efficiency by taking advantage of surplus and redundant capacity to improve efficiency.”

Chilled water systems are another option, with a high-efficiency VFD-equipped chiller with condenser water reset recommended by the FEMP as “the most efficient cooling option for large facilities.”

There’s much more in the paper about other options for cooling systems.

Electrical Systems

Keep in mind both initial and future loads here, the FEMP white paper warns, adding that efficiencies can range widely from manufacturer to manufacturer. Use uninterruptible power supply systems for backup power, and for maximum efficiency determine exactly what equipment actually needs UPS and which doesn’t.

Demand response is voluntarily lowering energy usage during peak demand, and your utility will probably offer you some incentive to sign up for a program like that. Many companies simply switch to backup power during peak times and pocket the savings from the lower rates.

Using DC power distribution will save conversions, but it’s expensive to install since it’s still not widely-used. And consider savings you can find with lighting — think about what space really needs to be illuminated all day and what space doesn’t. Zone occupancy sensors can really help you reduce your lighting costs and overall energy costs.

Other Energy-Efficient Design Opportunities

The FEMP paper provides a few more things to think about:

On-Site Generation.  With a constant electrical demand this option can make sense. They’re an alternative to grid power. Some places let you sell self-generated power back to the grid, which lowers capital expenses. Co-Generation Plants. This is using a power station or similar technology to help produce electricity, and its waste heat can run a chiller to provide cooling. Standby Losses. Reduce these, and use waste heat from the data center to minimize losses by block heaters. Here’s one place solar panels might make sense. Waste Heat. This can be used to provide cooling — nifty irony there, no? Done correctly, the FEMP says, using absorption or adsorption chillers, your chilled water plant energy costs can be cut by at least 50 percent. Adsorption chillers require less maintenance than absorption models, but are new to the U.S. market.

Data Center Metrics and Benchmarking

You do this to track performance and see where you can find improvements. The paper provides links to various benchmarks.

Measuring Power Usage Effectiveness and Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency is a good place to begin benchmarking, not that they represent the entire, overall efficiency of your whole data center, as the paper says, but rather the “efficiency of the supporting equipment within a data center.” Which is still quite a lot.

Energy Reuse Effectiveness is another area for productive benchmarking, as is the Rack Cooling Index and Return Temperature Index, your Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning System Effectiveness and the Airflow Efficiency, not to mention the Cooling System Efficiency.

On-Site Monitoring and Continuous Performance Measurement is an important area to benchmark, and the paper provides resources to assist with this as well.

See the original post:
Towards a More Energy-Efficient Data Center

By John DiNapoli

When it comes to making your home more energy efficient, sometimes we can overthink it. Should you install a high-efficiency furnace or solar panels? While these items can save you energy, they are expensive and have a long payback period. We have found that the easiest and most cost-effective way to save energy is to caulk and add insulation.

Recently, we set up a home energy assessment visit with a Unitil customer in Lunenburg. An energy specialist assessed the home's energy use and made a custom list of energy-saving recommendations, which I have detailed below because they are applicable to so many homes.

Insulation

* Box in recessed lights in the attic to prevent blown insulation from coming in contact with the lights. Install a thermadome over the attic staircase.

* Box in heating system in the attic. As a sealed combustion system in the attic, it requires some heat in order to prevent the condensation pump from freezing. This should be done using 2-inch rigid foam board insulation.

* Remove insulation from sloped ceiling in the attic. Having the sloped ceiling insulated increases the heated space to include that of the attic. A more effective barrier would be the attic floor.

* Add 1,289 square feet of R-50 cellulose insulation to the attic floor. Adding insulation will result in an improved thermal boundary, which will minimize the transfer of heat to the outdoors.

* Garage ceiling below apartment

should be dense-packed with cellulose. While there is insulation in the ceiling, there is also air movement, which should be eliminated.

Air tightening

* Reduce air infiltration by 23 percent. Minimizing the changes of air will reduce heating and cooling losses due to convection. Areas of concentration should be attic deck, attic access, doors between conditioned and unconditioned spaces, basement rim joist, as well as any mechanical and electrical penetrations in the home.

Like this Lunenburg customer, most homeowners need to beef up the amount of insulation in their homes. The above changes, many of which are do-it-yourself projects, would reduce this homeowner's annual energy usage by $300 per year.

John DiNapoli is community and municipal manager for Unitil.

View original post here:
Save energy with caulking, insulation

THE COMFORT of jail inmates is not likely to top the concerns of most people, but popular or not, housing people in humane conditions is not only moral, it's the law.

If Passaic County officials were unaware of that in the past, they should be uncertain no more. The county just settled a federal suit that requires it to institute a series of sensible reforms at its aging and crowded jail in Paterson. The litigation, which was led by the American Civil Liberties Union and Seton Hall University's Center for Social Justice, was filed four years ago on behalf of eight inmates who complained about such things as rodent droppings in their food and beatings by officers when out of sight of security cameras.

The proposed settlement, which will be reviewed by a judge next month, obligates the county to install new fire alarm and ventilation systems, provide more space between toilets and beds, increase the medical staff and work to ease overcrowding. Some of the requirements already have been met. For example, jail population this week was 1,048, down from a high of about 1,700 five years ago. Sprinkler systems are being installed and an upgraded air conditioning and heating system is being constructed. The work has cost $8 million so far and is expected to cost $5 million more.

That's an expensive investment, but once all the requirements are implemented, the jail will be a better place for both inmates and corrections officers. Keeping a jail as hospitable as possible helps avoid unrest. Settling litigation that has hung over the jail for four years closes a chapter for government officials in Passaic County.

But let's keep the book open.

There was a fledgling plan last summer to shut the jail and to house Passaic County inmates in newer and larger lockups in Bergen and possibly Essex counties. The deal could have saved Passaic County as much as $20 million in addition to providing Paterson with a chance to redevelop the jail site as a tax-producing project.

After some initial encouragement, the Passaic freeholders killed the idea in the face of opposition from jail employees and their union representatives. So quick was the about-face that the freeholders wouldn't even agree to formally study the proposal, a stance that rightly disappointed officials in Bergen and Essex. That impulsive and far too hasty decision was hardly government at its best.

Notwithstanding the financial commitment the county is now making to upgrade the Passaic jail, we remain convinced that it's prudent for officials to thoroughly investigate a shared arrangement with neighboring Bergen County.

Even with new smoke detectors and a modern heating and cooling system, the Passaic County Jail is about 60 years old and overcrowding can be a recurring problem.

Settling the suit bides Passaic County some time, time the freeholders should use to seriously explore how much money can be saved by housing county inmates in a neighboring county.

We understand this is a complicated issue with many moving parts. It is worthy of study.

View original post here:
Herald News: Time to revisit jail consolidation

THE COMFORT of jail inmates is not likely to top the concerns of most people, but popular or not, housing people in humane conditions is not only moral, it's the law.

Passaic County Jail.

If Passaic County officials were unaware of that in the past, they should be uncertain no more. The county just settled a federal suit that requires it to institute a series of sensible reforms at its aging and crowded jail in Paterson. The litigation, which was led by the American Civil Liberties Union and Seton Hall University's Center for Social Justice, was filed four years ago on behalf of eight inmates who complained about such things as rodent droppings in their food and beatings by officers when out of sight of security cameras.

The proposed settlement, which will be reviewed by a judge next month, obligates the county to install new fire alarm and ventilation systems, provide more space between toilets and beds, increase the medical staff and work to ease overcrowding. Some of the requirements already have been met. For example, jail population this week was 1,048, down from a high of about 1,700 five years ago. Sprinkler systems are being installed, and an upgraded air conditioning and heating system is being constructed. The work has cost $8 million so far and is expected to cost $5 million more.

That's an expensive investment, but once all the requirements are implemented, the jail will be a better place for both inmates and corrections officers. Keeping a jail as hospitable as possible helps avoid unrest. Settling litigation that has hung over the jail for four years closes a chapter for government officials in Passaic County.

But let's keep the book open.

There was a fledgling plan last summer to shut the jail and to house Passaic County inmates in newer and larger lockups in Bergen and possibly Essex counties. The deal could have saved Passaic County as much as $20 million in addition to providing Paterson with a chance to redevelop the jail site as a tax-producing project.

After some initial encouragement, the Passaic freeholders killed the idea in the face of opposition from jail employees and their union representatives. So quick was the about-face that the freeholders wouldn't even agree to formally study the proposal, a stance that rightly disappointed officials in Bergen and Essex. That impulsive and far-too-hasty decision was hardly government at its best.

Notwithstanding the financial commitment the county is now making to upgrade the Passaic jail, we remain convinced that it's prudent for officials to thoroughly investigate a shared arrangement with neighboring Bergen County. Even with new smoke detectors and a modern heating and cooling system, the Passaic County Jail is about 60 years old, and overcrowding can be a recurring problem.

Settling the suit buys Passaic County some time – time the freeholders should use to seriously explore how much money can be saved by housing county inmates in a neighboring county. We understand this is a complicated issue with many moving parts. It is worthy of study.

Continue reading here:
The Record: Jail reprieve

February 23, 2012 Updated Feb 23, 2012 at 6:31 PM EST

MARKLE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Who doesn't want to save a few bucks these days? Heating and cooling your home can be very expensive, but there are a few things people can do to cut down on energy costs.

Energizing Indiana is an organization formed through the collaborative efforts of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, various consumer groups, and several utility companies.

Today one of their crews toured a Markle home. The inspectors looked at the heating, air conditioning, ventilation, appliances, insulation, light bulbs, and much more. The home owners were given suggestions along the way and offered a full report at the end.

Home assessments are offered free of charge. In addition, Energizing Indiana will install new, low-flow sink and shower heads at no additional cost. Incandescent light bulbs are also replaced with florescent light bulbs.

After identifying what can be done to improve the energy efficiency of a home, Energizing Indiana will often work with the home owner to find affordable improvement options.

"You're putting that investment into your home," says Energizing Indiana Director Bob Nuss. "It's something that is going to continue to provide savings long after it's paid back. Most of the measures that you're going to see here are going to be paid back in a year to three years. After that, it's money in your pocket."

Making some energy upgrades can also improve a home's air quality and elevate its value.

To find out more about Energizing Indiana's residential, industrial, and school programs, visit http://energizingindiana.com/programs/

What are your thoughts CLICK HERE to leave us a "Your2Cents” comment.

© Copyright 2012 A Granite Broadcasting Station. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Originally posted here:
Invest a Little, Save a Lot

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Trustees of San Angelo ISD got some good financial news and some "sticker shock" news at the Board of Education's monthly meeting Monday.

The good news came in the form of a check for $29,541, a rebate from AEP's SCORE program, Schools Conserving Resources.

Gary Throckmorton, program coordinator of AEP's Texas energy efficiency programs, said the school district has been participating in SCORE for five years.

"While these incentives are impressive, the district's biggest benefit comes from reducing your energy use by nearly half a million kilowatt hours a year," Throckmorton said, a savings equivalent to the annual energy use of 64 average homes.

The incentive is a result of switching to energy efficient lighting and HVAC equipment at Alta Loma, Goliad, Holiman and San Jacinto elementary schools, Lee Middle School and Central High School.

Much of the work has come during the renovations linked to the $117 million bond approved by voters in 2008, but Jim Elson, district director of maintenance, said it also was thanks to the district's ongoing revitalization program, which allows the district to update lighting and heating and cooling systems at campuses not included in the bond projects.

Throckmorton said the city of San Angelo also received a rebate of $17,876 from AEP for adopting energy efficiencies.

The "sticker shock" came Thursday when the district received a bid of $1.17 million to install air conditioning and upgrade heating in two gymnasiums, the dressing rooms and a weightroom at Central Freshman Campus and two gyms at Glenn Middle School.

The last time the district installed air conditioning in a gym was at Lake View High School, and the cost was about $200,000, said Steve Van Hoozer, the district's director of bond planning and construction.

The CFC and Glenn gym projects are not part of the bond and are the last four gyms at secondary schools without air conditioning.

Superintendent Carol Ann Bonds and Van Hoozer said age the facilities at CFC, built in the 1920s, were part of the reason for the unexpectedly high cost.

"That old gym has little to no insulation; it's basically a wooden box with a lid on it," Van Hoozer said of one of the CFC gyms. "There are just some real difficulties on getting air conditioning to these old gyms. Also, the price of things are just creeping up."

Trustee Cookie Roberts said the girls who play volleyball and other sports at Central Freshman and Glenn need air conditioning.

"We've taken care of everyone else," she said. "For the health and welfare of those girls, we need to air-condition these gyms."

The board voted to approve the base bid of $1.17 million and asked Van Hoozer to find out what it would cost to replace windows and to report back in March.

Van Hoozer also reminded the board and the administration that after March 1 there will be no air conditioning in the SAISD Administration Building until the work is complete on upgrading its HVAC system.

Bonds also asked the board to approve the members of the first concussion oversight team. She said a law passed in the last legislative session requires school districts to name a team "to establish protocols when a child who has been diagnosed with a concussion may return to competition or even practice."

The team approved by the board is made up of Bonds, district Athletic Director Jim Slaughter, district athletic trainers Jenny Corbett, Joey Guzman, Randall Parker and Troy Wilde, orthopedic Dr. Stacy Beaty, family practice Dr. Warren Conway, pediatrics Dr. James Herbert and pediatrics Dr. Robert Patyrak.

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SAISD board of trustees gets good news and bad at meeting