Sunnyview Nursing Home and Apartments of Trenton has been working with Energy Solutions Professionals of Overland Park, Kansas on energy improvement projects.
Sunnyview Administrator Donita Youtsey says the projects started with an energy survey for the nursing home facility.
Three of the projects are complete, and one is ongoing. One of the completed projects involved replacing several thousand lights with LED lights. The project cost $79,000 funded through a loan through the Division of Energy, and she anticipates the new lights will pay for themselves in about five years.
Another completed project regarded water energy improvements, which cost about $98,000. All the water closets were replaced in the facility, including the apartments and faucet moderators and more water-efficient show heads were also installed. Youtsey expects the water-energy improvements will pay for themselves in about 10 years.
The third completed project revolved around building infiltration improvements and cost about $13,000. It included caulking, weather stripping, door sweeps, smoke seals, and weatherizing 25 exit doors. The three completed energy improvement projects were completed about the same time in October.
Sunnyview is working with Rural Development to receive a 30-year loan and small grant to replace the 45 year old original boiler to the facility, which services the main part of the building. The project is expected to cost approximately $1,300,000 and involves the boiler and water cooler being replaced with a variant refrigerant flow system. This would allow residents to more ability to be able to control the temperature of their rooms.
Sunnyview has seen its desired energy efficiencies with the projects completed so far, in that the cost of water and lights has “gone down dramatically.”
