Total Cost: $406,728
Roof costs: $172,500
Solar panel costs: $234,228
Grant amounts: $323,750
Tax-payer portion of costs: $82,978
DeWitt Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko, former NYS Assemblywoman Joan Christensen and State Senator David Valesky Wednesday unveiled DeWitt Town Hall’s solar panel system.
The 51KW Photovoltaic Array will provide 53,600 kilowatts of energy annually for town hall, chalking up savings of $7,500, or more than 12 percent of energy costs. The panel system is the largest in Onondaga County, Michalenko said.
More than $323,000 of the total $406,000 cost was provided for the town by grants.
In the winter, the panels will be capable of melting snow that lands on the system. The panels, which are fashioned on the roof at a pitch, are dark-colored. They will absorb energy, melting the snow up to three inches, Michalenko said.
The DeWitt town website and a television in the lobby of town hall will monitor and report the output of the solar panels.
Residents interested in learning more about residential energy can attend a workshop at town hall at 6:30 p.m., Nov. 17. The program will offer free home energy audits and information about home heating programs and grants.
