Vets Home gets funding for energy projects

The Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls is the first Montana recipient of energy-efficiency funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Gov. Brian Schweitzer and the Department of Environmental Quality announced last week.

The state plans to spend $1.3 million to install modern digital controls, new high-efficiency boilers, a heat-recovery system, variable air-volume equipment and groundwater cooling system. When completed, the improvements will result in energy cost savings of approximately $33,000 per year.

The funding is a combination of $800,000 of deferred maintenance funds from the state's Long Range Building Program and $500,000 of Recovery Act funds.

In 2007, Schweitzer set a goal to reduce facility energy use in state buildings by 20 percent by the end of 2010. The Veterans Home will be one of more than 60 projects throughout the state funded with $21.7 million in federal recovery act funding that will help meet the 20 energy-reduction goal.