National Life Group Announces Major Solar Project
Montpelier, Vermont - National Life Group has announced that it will install 240 solar panels on the roof of its Montpelier headquarters in what will be one of the largest, if not the largest, solar electric installations in the state of Vermont.
The $500,000 project calls for the installation of 240 300-watt solar panels on the roof of the financial services company. The 77 kW photovoltaic (PV) system will generate enough electricity to power 13 average Vermont homes.
The project will be financed in part through a $200,000 grant from the state of Vermont's Clean Energy Development Fund, administered by the state Department of Public Service.
Thomas H. MacLeay, National Life's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said the project is a critical element of the company's years-long green initiative.
"Converting sunlight into electricity is an important component of our plan to lessen our environmental footprint," said MacLeay. "This state grant, together with federal and state tax incentives, makes this project affordable."
National Life has contracted Solar Works Inc., headquartered in Montpelier, to handle the installation. Solar Works is the leading solar electric systems integrator in the Northeast.
MacLeay said that the system will generate 77,767 kilowatt-hours a year.
"Over the 25-year life of this project this system is equivalent to avoiding almost 2 million miles of driving," MacLeay said.
Tim Shea, the National Life executive in charge of the project, said he expects the system to be installed and running by September. Shea also said the company is now working on a separate proposal that would use solar thermal heating to supply hot water to the building.
National Life, a member of the United States Green Building Council, is working to win coveted LEED certification for its Montpelier headquarters. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
In recent years National Life has installed a highly insulated white roof membrane that cut winter fuel usage by 27 percent. Last year National Life transformed the offices of its Human Resources Department into a showcase for leading-edge green technology. The project added carpet with no volatile organic compounds (VOC), occupancy sensors, glass walls and automatic window blinds that allow light to pass, while keeping the heat out in the summer and the cold out in the winter. The new lighting technology - with fixtures that are 95 percent efficient compared to the 50 percent efficiency of existing fixtures - will cut in half the electric bill for the department.