The investment will modernize the facilities while guaranteeing long-term financial benefits, Superintendent Jeffrey Solan said.
"We have to make a financial investment in things like solar panels, windows, HVAC upgrades — and we are guaranteed the savings," Solan said.
Solar panels will be installed at Cheshire High School, Dodd Middle School, Highland Elementary School, Doolittle Elementary School, the new Norton Elementary School and the new Barnum Elementary School.
In addition, Highland Elementary School and the new Barnum Elementary School will also have carports with solar panels installed on top.
The solar panels are expected to be completed by fall 2026, according to Vincent Masciana, the district's chief project officer.
When the project was first proposed, officials estimated the district was spending $950,000 annually on utilities, while the town spent another $575,000. Johnson Controls Inc., the company overseeing the work, projected the district could reduce energy use by 23 percent and the town by 26 percent.
The financing plan may include a 4.75 percent rate over 20 years, during which the district will repay $31.9 million, Masciana said.
However, with a projected gross savings of $35 million — including $6.3 million in state aid and $4.7 million from the Inflation Reduction Act's Section 48 direct pay benefit — the district is expected to come out ahead by about $3.5 million after repaying the loan.
The district is still finalizing the financing rate, he said, and if it comes lower, the net savings could be more than the projected $3.5 million.
"The key to the $3.5 million is that we take it and do other work at the schools and town buildings, like replacing the police department boilers or the windows at Doolittle School, which are two projects we're targeting," Masciana said.
Town and school officials are working quickly because that federal incentive could expire under new legislation.
"We need to have a portion of the work done by December of this year to not lose that $4.7 million," he said.
Johnson Controls has completed similar projects in Fairfield, Guilford, North Haven, Seymour and Thomaston. The company also guarantees projected savings, Masciana said.
"That's one of the key contract terms that makes this a big advantage," he said. " Johnson Controls, who's done all the legwork to design and will build these systems, is saying, 'You know what, we're going to put our money where our mouth is, and we're going to guarantee you'll have $1,085,000 in utility savings.'"
The district is now focusing on installing solar panels at six schools and a fuel cell at Cheshire High School, while John Control is conducting an analysis to explore energy-efficient HVAC systems and other upgrades across district and town buildings, according to Masciana.
© 2025 Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
