Southwest Arkansas Radio Radio Stations KMTB, KNAS and KBHC in Nashville, Arkansas
Howard County has entered into a long term energy efficiency contract. The 20 year agreement totals more than 1.8 million dollars and will include completion of a new HVAC system at the courthouse, conversion of existing fluorescent lighting to L.E.D. lighting at the courthouse and all other county owned buildings, and the creation of a solar panel system that will be built on a section of the old hospital property. McKinstry, which is a Texas based company that engineers energy efficiency plans, is overseeing the project. The company has spent the past several months studying the county’s needs and created the energy savings plan. While the lighting & much needed HVAC updates will save money, the majority of the savings for Howard County will come through the solar panel system that is designed to create electricity the county will sell to SWEPCO. It’s expected the power generation will help save the county approximately 97 percent of it’s electric consumption costs on a monthly basis.
Those savings should amount to more than 97 thousand dollars in the first year and will help pay for the 1.8 million dollar cost over the 20 year period. Should the electric savings fall short of paying for the project, McKinstry guarantees it will pay any remaining portion.
Work on the project is expected to be complete by the end of this year.
