Water, power savings OK’d at SC prisons

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ The South Carolina Department of Corrections is borrowing more than $14 million to start an energy and water savings program that it expects will generate $1.3 million a year in savings by installing better equipment, drilling new wells and using other conservation tools.

The agency estimates the changes will cut its utility bills by about 6 percent for electricity and 10 percent for water. A new state law requires agencies to cut energy costs by 1 percent during each of the next five years.

Under the deal the state Infrastructure Bank approved Monday, Johnson Controls will install new equipment and monitoring gear. The contract calls for the state to save a specific amount of power and water each year. If the prison system follows the company’s program and fails to save the expected amount of energy and water, Johnson Controls will reimburse the state for the shortfall in savings.

Prison systems in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky are using similar savings programs, said Kimberly Smith, who is handling the program for Johnson Controls in South Carolina. Prison officials in those states did not immediately respond to questions about their savings.

Board members were skeptical.

“I just want to make sure that whatever we say we’re going to save, we do save. Lots of times we get pie-in-the-sky projections that don’t pan out,“ said Sen. Hugh Leatherman, a Florence Republican who chairs the Infrastructure Bank.

Corrections Department Director Jon Ozmint said even without savings, the state would still get new equipment to replace worn-out gear and other improvements that will pay off.

For instance, the plan calls for drilling wells that will be used to chill water for cooling systems at its Allendale, Broad River, Evans and McCormick facilities, instead of paying for metered water to do the cooling.

Officials also expect cost reductions from water-saving toilets, sinks and shower fixtures for the treated water the prisons use. All told, the agency expects to save nearly $761,000 yearly in water expenses. Meanwhile, changing interior and exterior lighting at those four institutions and at Livesay, will save about $195,000 a year. New boilers and other equipment changes should save more than $340,000 yearly.

Ozmint said prisoners shouldn’t notice any changes beyond fewer breakdowns from aging equipment.

“This won’t change their environment at all,“ Ozmint said. “This is just going to make sure that we’re making wise use of the energy that we use and we’re not using too much energy.“