Jasper County Jail to Celebrate New Solar Array with a Green Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Monday, April 5

RENSSELAER, Indiana (April 1, 2021) – Jasper County Jail Commander Justin Burkhart appreciates a comfortable jail. For years, this rural Indiana correctional facility struggled to keep deputies, staff, and inmates warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and pay energy bills that soared to more than $25,000 a month. “It got so cold we had to issue inmates extra blankets and sweatshirts and so hot we had to add plug-in fans. We got a lot of complaints,” he says.

Fortunately, there are no complaints now. Instead, on Monday, April 5, at 11 a.m., the Jasper County Jail, Jasper County Commissioners, and local dignitaries will be joined by Trane Technologies and Solential Energy for a Green Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony celebrating the facility’s new solar system and energy system overhaul. The project has corrected problems that have existed since the jail was built in 2007 and created the opportunity to cut monthly energy costs in half. View video here.

Kendell Culp, president of the Jasper County Commissioners, says the county met with several companies on improving the jail’s energy systems and controlling costs. The Trane-Solential team was the only one that recommended an energy audit and solar energy. “They studied the building and our issues before presenting a strategy that included adding a solar array. With the projected energy savings, the solar system will pay for itself. This is a big win for Jasper County.”