The City of Hayward has passed a resolution that approves green technology upgrades for several city owned buildings that would save over $100,000 annually.

“We are all concerned about energy savings,” said city council member Olden Henson.

Through the Energy Conservation Assistance Act, the California Energy Commission (CEC) is financing a loan for Energy Efficiency and Energy Generation Projects. The Energy Conservation Assistance Act provides low-interest at 3 percent to implement energy saving upgrades and efficient energy generation systems.

The loans are paid back by utilizing the energy savings from lighting upgrades and solar power installation. The loan term lasts for 15 years.

The project includes lighting system upgrades for City Hall and its parking garages, the Police Department, Fleet Maintenance building and Cinema Place parking garage. The lighting upgrades in the offices include occupancy sensors, energy efficient fluorescent fixtures, a computer controlled light timer, and LED exit lights.

The lighting upgrades in the parking garages are supported by CEC Energy Technology Assistance Program (ETAP), which utilizes funding from Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which are intended to promote the latest green technology by offering rebates, according to maintenance documents.

The new system in the parking garages will utilize wireless motion and photocell sensors with a wireless mesh network to turn on the lights when the garage is occupied, and will turn them off when it is not. The high-pressure sodium light poles on the top of the garages will be replaced with low-draw LED lights.

An array of solar power panels and systems will be installed on the open, uncluttered roofs of the Utilities Building on Soto Road and the Streets/Water building at the corporation yard.

These energy projects, totaling $887,152, will save the City of Hayward $111,981 in electricity costs annually. The city will pay back $73,867 on the loan annually. The $73,867 payment will be funded the annual energy savings of $111,981, within the current Facilities operating budget.

It is estimated by Vic Avila, Facilities Manager, that this will allow for a net savings of $38,114 during the life of the fifteen-year loan. The useful life of the project will be about 25 years.

After about 12 years when the loan is repaid, the city of Hayward will be able to realize 100 percent of the $111,981 energy savings. PG&E will offer $138,111 in rebates. The net cost for the city will total $749,041.