You might not be able to see them easily as you walk by, but solar arrays on the roofs of Briarcliff Manor's and are now equipped and ready to bring down energy costs.
The village, along with Pleasantville, from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to fund solar arrays for the respective DPW buildings. Both villages accepted bids for the work well below the amounts of the grant.
"The overall pricing of the solar panels came in for less," said Briarcliff Manor Village Manager Philip Zegarelli. "So, we said, 'OK, can we use this somewhere else?'"
The initial grant allotted $248,000 for the village project, while Briarcliff Manor forked over an additional $27,500.
The DPW bid came in at approximately $178,000, leaving an additional $92,000.
"We did a sun-shade analysis and we found that the roof at Village Hall was good," explained Zegarelli. "With the amount left over from the original grant, we had sort of a bonus project out of one original project."
Before the DPW array could be installed, the village had to fast-track plans to replace the building's roof.
"In order to utilize the grant, you needed to have a 20-year life roof," said the village manager.
The 10-month project included taking apart the former roof, adding the new one, as well as redoing electricity and skylights for "extra support."
"We have essentially a 50kW solar system on our roof," Zegarelli said.
The Village Hall project added an additional 18kW to Briarcliff Manor's total solar array.
Zegarelli said he anticipate cost savings to become apparent within the next 18-24 months.
"Number one, we will be using the electricity," he pointed out, " and we have an oil and hot water heater that will have to be replaced. We will have to put in an electric one."
These additional factors make the future savings "hard to calculate" he said, but, "We have 66 to 68 kW going into a building or going back into the grid. It is going to advertise very quickly."
