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Osage County Receives Energy Efficiency in Local Government Award
Courtesy of: Osage County Herald-Chronicle
On December 14, 2009 Carl Meyer, Osage County Commissioner, accepted the Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award in recognition of Osage County's committment to energy efficiency and reducing their environmental footprint. In a broadcast on KTKA, Topeka channel 49, Ben Bauman reported:
"A county courthouse in northeast Kansas has undergone a complete overhaul. And officials say that over time, taxpayers may not have to pay a dime for the upgrades.
The Osage County courthouse in Lyndon was built in 1927. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and has served the county well. Now, officials say, it's even better.
"They were able to remove 29 window air conditioners and 40 tons of old roofing", says Susan Duffy, Kansas Corporation Commission director.
"They actually addressed everything. They addressed the building envelope, the window situation, the roof situation, the electrical service, the heating and ventilation and air conditioning, the lights, the water. Everything in this building has now been modernized," says Keven Ward, Trane Commercial Systems.
That modernization will save taxpayers money. "23,000 dollars annually in utility costs," says Duffy.
In addition, the county is making use of nearly 250,000 dollars in energy and historical tax credits. "There was a lot of monies that came together and then it'll be paid back. What money we are in debt to is the banks and it will be paid back from the energy savings in the future," says 59th District Representative William Prescott.
State officials say it's something they hope other local governments will copy. "We hope Osage County will be poster child, so to speak, for other counties to review their situation and see if they can take advantage of this program," says Duffy."
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