Lexington city officials continue to look for ways to save energy within government-owned facilities.
James Bush is the city’s energy initiatives section leader. He is the one responsible for overseeing energy-saving strategies. Bush said there’s continual growth in building space. In absolute terms, he noted there are energy cost increases.
“We’re tackling the job, but to do more would require a different mindset and allocation for resources,” said Bush.
Much of what’s been done so far focuses on the move to LED lighting. Bush says this can amount to savings between 25 to 90%. Two Lexington fire stations currently feature solar rooftop systems. Bush noted work is underway to add a solar array to the fire station on Clearwater Way.
He said solar installation might be able to accompany traditional roof repair.
“When they’re doing the roofing project, what can they do while they’ve got workers on the roof to make it easier for my solar installers to put a system on the roof and have the penetrations and routing already in mind for that future project,” said Bush.
The energy savings specialist said he’s examining the feasibility of installing solar on top of a non-fire department government building.
