Four Waynesboro schools will start using solar energy as soon as fall 2019, according to a contract the division’s school board unanimously approved Tuesday night.
Staunton-based solar energy company Secure Futures, LLC will install solar panels on Westwood Hills Elementary School, William Perry Elementary School, Kate Collins Middle School and Waynesboro High School this summer, according to a timeline presented at a December meeting. The company has estimated the division will save more than $288,000 in energy costs over the next 20 years.
This plan was first presented to the school board in December. Waynesboro Public Schools won’t be charged for installation, The News Leader previously reported, and the division will purchase solar power from the company instead of buying the solar panels.
The division will save on energy costs because the company charges less for solar energy than the utility company charges for electricity, Secure Futures Senior Business Development Associate Loren Swartzendruber said at the December meeting. After 20 years, the division will purchase the panels at market value.
Solar panels will offset one-third of the energy used at the four Waynesboro schools each year on average, Secure Futures predicts.