The City of Reading, Pennsylvania, has announced the switch to the construction phase as part of a strategic partnership with Schneider Electric to implement a guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA) project that strengthens the dedication of reading to sustainability and energy efficiency. This initiative comes in accordance with the ambitious target of the city to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050, a movement aimed at considerably reducing the carbon footprint of the city and guaranteeing energy benefits for its community.
The completion of the project is planned for the end of 2026. The GEA project includes an extensive series of energy -efficiency -upgrades to modernize the city infrastructure. This initiative includes the installation of solar panels in the town hall, the public work building and the cedar parking space, which generate both energy and protects vehicles.
With more than 4,300 solar panels that generate more than 1.78 MW of electricity, the project will fully compensate for the electrical consumption of public works and compensate almost all electrical consumption in the town hall. In addition, the project includes more than 3000 LED lightup grades at 14 locations, which improves pedestrian lighting in the city center in five important areas to increase safety and security, while energy -efficiency is dramatically improved.
Significant improvements to HVAC systems in four historic field houses in Pendora, Keffer, Schlegel and Baer Parks will also be implemented.
The city of reading mayor Eddie Morán shared his excitement for the project and said: “We are honored to move our city in the most efficient way, and this collaboration with Schneider Electric represents another important step in that journey. This transforming project brings us closer to our goals for renewable energy consumption, while reducing operational costs and improves the safety and comfort of our community. “
The initiative is a supplement to broader state and federal initiatives for sustainability and energy efficiency. As a GEA project, the majority of the financing will come for the project through capital recovery and reinvestment, an innovative financing solution that has been designed to efficiently distribute costs over time. The total project costs of $ 17.9 million will be largely financed through expected savings of $ 13.3 million for two decades, which means that the costs for the city of Reading are brought to $ 4.6 million.
The project is also supported by various financing mechanisms in addition to Gesa, including capital financing, federal 179d discounts and investment tax credits for renewable energy (ITC) supported by the inflation reduction law. The GESA project provides substantial benefits of the environment and the community, such as improved park and pedestrian lighting for more safety, improves comfort in municipal facilities and the acceptance of net measurement to optimize energy tenges.
News item from the city of Reading
