N.J. Clean Energy Program

PARSIPPANY  St. Peter the Apostle Church here recently received much-needed major upgrades for better energy-efficiency, making it brighter inside and out with new LED lights and warmer this winter with two new boilers. The church is expected to be cooler this summer because of two new air-conditioning units.

It warms the heart of Father David Pickens, St. Peter’s pastor, to know that this updating of the original old, tired church facilities — some more than 30 years old — is saving the parish cold, hard cash thanks to the N.J. Clean Energy — Direct Install Program. The entire three-phase project, completed last month, cost St. Peter’s $35,000 — about half of what a typical installation of boilers, air-conditioning air handlers, and longer-lasting LED lighting typically would have cost. The parish reaps additional savings, because of lower monthly electric bills — up to $800 less — and no maintenance costs on the new energy-efficient equipment, Father Pickens said.

“We are happy with the upgrades. The LED lighting inside [in the hallways, bathrooms, sacristy, storage room and boiler room] is brighter, as is the lighting outside in the parking lot, important for safety and security purposes,” said Father Pickens, noting that St. Peter’s funded its portion of the project from a capital campaign established by his predecessor, Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, before his retirement last year. “This [program] is the best way to spend the money from the campaign enabling us to be good stewards of our resources. We must keep God’s House in good shape,” he said.

St. Peter’s tapped into one of several programs to save money for parishes, schools, and agencies in the Diocese which have buildings that are considered “commercial” because of their high power consumption. The programs significantly defray the cost of replacing old boilers, air-conditioning units and incandescent lighting with LED bulbs — up to 70 percent of the cost.

The Diocese is urging these entities to get free energy audits of their facilities by approved contractors for the state or their utility providers, such as PSE&G or JCP&L. If eligible, they should apply for their programs before the June 30 deadline for the current fiscal year, said Dennis Rodano, the Diocese’s business and facilities project manager.

“These programs are extremely beneficial. There is no downside. Parishes, schools, and agencies have to make these upgrades anyway. In the end, everybody wins. The customer gets new energy-efficient equipment that reduces the strain on the provider’s energy grid,” said Rodano, noting that Direct Install has had many happy customers in the Diocese in the past nine years that the Diocese has been promoting it. “If they participated in the programs in the past, they can get another audit, as they could qualify for additional benefits from this program. The remaining funding is limited and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so when it runs out, it runs out,” he said.

For Direct Install, the Diocese has been getting parishes, schools, and agencies in contact with Donnelly Energy in Wayne, one of the state’s approved contractors, which conducts the free energy audit. The program pays up to 80 percent of the replacement of heating, air conditioning and lighting — not new construction — in Urban Enterprise Zones and up to 70 percent elsewhere for commercial properties, including churches, parish halls, and schools. It excludes most convents and rectories, which are considered residential. Qualification is based on electric usage, not gas or oil, and if the equipment is considered inefficient by today’s standards. The annual cap for a project is $125,000 for a single meter or $250,000 for multiple meters, said Rodano.

Meanwhile, PSE&G customers can participate in Energy Saver Program, which is like Direct Install in that customers are responsible for only 30 percent of the costs. There also is an added benefit that this amount can be financed with a three-year, zero-interest loan, which is added to their monthly utility bills, Rodano said.

In Totowa, St. James of the Marches Parish completed a three-phase project last year with PSE&G that outfitted the church and school with LED lighting and a new boiler, the rectory with new lights and a boiler, and its CCD building with new lighting. The total endeavor cost St. James $50,000 for work that ultimately cost $205,000, said Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James, which took out a three-year loan.

“This was a great deal. We knew that we had to make the upgrades to the buildings anyway. The lighting is better and brighter. The boiler is more efficient and takes up less space. The heat is good,” Father Mancini said. “This was a worthy investment and program,” he said.

Last year, St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Stirling replaced the LED lighting, four boilers, six air-conditioning units, and additional heating in the former school, now rented out. St. Vincent’s paid $60,000 for a job that would have cost $164,000. This summer, St. Vincent’s plans to replace boilers and air-conditioning units in the church that are 30 years old and are inefficient, said John Castagna, its business and facilities manager.

“We are very satisfied. Over time, the program will benefit our parish. It will save us money that we can use for other things,” said Castagna, who noted that, the program will save the parish up to $1,500 a year in costs to start up the boilers for the winter.