An end appears to be in sight for the ongoing energy-efficient heating and air conditioner (HVAC) installations taking place in many Cullman County schools.

Chevron Energy Solutions Representative Neal Turner, whose company is handling the project, gave the Cullman County Board of Education a progress report at a recent board meeting.

“We’ve got almost all of the mechanical equipment installed,” he said. “That simply means the equipment is in place and operating for cooling and heating.”

Though a majority of the installations have been completed, finishing and cosmetic work is still pending at many of the schools.

“While I reported almost all units have been installed, that does not mean all trim work, insulation of piping, and repair of locations where old units were removed (is complete),” Turner said in a follow-up e-mail.

The project also includes the installation of more efficient lighting equipment, which Turner said is approximately two-thirds complete district-wide. The school board plans to help pay for the equipment with funds that will be saved in future utility bills.

“It’s an ideal situation,” Turner said. “The energy savings pay for the project.”

Turner said the entire $13 million project is on track to be completed as early as March 2009.

“We could be out of here in late March or early April,” he said.

Superintendent Hank Allen said he is happy to see the project grow nearer to a close.

“They are making substantial progress and we’re very pleased,” he said.

Allen noted the large scope of the undertaking contributed to the time that has been required to complete the task, which he and the school board had originally hoped would be complete before classes started for the 2008-2009 school year in early August.

“It’s a pretty huge transformation,” he said, noting the 235 new HVAC systems that have been installed system-wide. “It is huge, and we’ve certainly had some problems. But, for the most part things have run smoothly.”

To help ensure energy savings, control of the heating and air equipment for the entire system is centralized and controlled in one place.

“The idea is to give you centralized control over your system’s energy usage,” Turner said.

Adjustments can be made to the centralized HVAC schedule if a teacher wants to stay late, or feels their room is too cold or hot. Though, Turner noted, too many shifts can make the system less energy efficient.

“You can make adjustments for certain teachers’ rooms, but don’t go hog wild,” he said. “You need to maintain a certain level for energy savings.”

The system will be monitored to ensure the settings stay within pre-set parameters.

Hanceville Elementary School Principal Jeff Harper said his school is slowly beginning to get used to the new systems.

“So far, so good,” he said. “We got them late, and it took a while to get accustomed to. I think next year we’ll be a lot more comfortable with it and know how to control it. It’s been a process, as we knew it would be.”

Though the installations are winding down, the process hasn’t been without its problems, Harper said.

“We had a lot of leaks that had to be repaired, but whenever we have a problem they’re extremely fast to come take care of it,” he said. “We’re looking forward to them coming back and finishing up the cosmetic end. All the units are technically working, but they just haven’t come back and finished the molding around them yet.”

Vinemont High School Principal Ronnie Barnes said his faculty members are adjusting well to the new equipment.

“Everything’s going great,” he said. “We have them all in and there haven’t been any problems. The teachers love it because they don’t have to turn their window units off to teach anymore.”



‰ Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.