Bucks County Backs Off Plan To Shut Off Air Conditioning At Courthouse
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) - Bucks County officials say it's unlikely the county will continue to participate in an energy program this summer that could have saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The county is part of an "energy curtailment" program that, if maximized over the summer, could have saved the taxpayers as much as a quarter of a million dollars.
But it involved shutting down the air conditioning at the courthouse and the prison between 3 PM and 6 PM on certain days to cut peak load -- and that drew complaints from county workers (see previous story).
Bucks County COO Brian Hessenthaler says they were just asking the employees for shared sacrifice and didn't believe anyone's health was at risk.
"I just wanted to make sure the county is not being painted as a bad guy here," he told KYW Newsradio this afternoon. "What we're actually trying to do is find a way to save taxpayers money. We have other county employees who work out in this heat. There are other taxpayers who work out in this heat."
The county has cut the air conditioning on six days this summer, but to really take advantage of the savings they had to do it on the hottest days, which was creating a problem.
No word on whether they will consider it again next summer.
Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio 1060
