School district receives energy grant
Calhan School District RJ1 has received a $305,000 grant from the state to replace the existing propane heating and air system with a geothermal ground source heat pump system.
The money is part of $1.5 million in New Emergency Economic Development grants (NEED) given to 14 recipients in Colorado.
Calhan Superintendent Linda Miller says, "We are excited. Our propane boilers are very old. They started drilling last week to test soil for the new system."
She noted that the grant will be used in conjunction with other money they received for the project including $1.5 million in BEST grants from the state Department of Education, and $400,000 from DOLA (state Department of Local Affairs.)
"We have a lot of of issues with our air quality. For safety reasons we have to keep our doors shut, and it gets very hot for the students in buildings where there is no air conditioning. " She noted that when tests were conducted, some classrooms registered 92 degrees. "It makes it hard for students to learn."
Geothermal systems use pipes drilled into the ground which use water and an anti-freeze-like liquid to pick up the earth's natural heat, which is then transferred to heat buildings. During the summer, the process is reversed, and heat from the buildings is transferred back into the earth.
The NEED grants, funded by the federal Recovery Act, are going to small businesses, school districts, nonprofits and municipalities. The 14 grantees will leverage more than $3.3 million in public-private local matching funds, for a combined $5.8 million investment, according to the governor's office.
Other schools receiving project money include: $284,000 to convert a gas boiler system to a woody biomass heating system at Western State College; $103,000 in matching funds to install Solatube technology at two elementary schools; $130,000 to retrofit a heating system at Buena Vista Schools.
