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Water & Energy
How multiple energy improvements brought comfort and savings to Jasper County Jail By MARY JANE BOGLE | The Municipal
Imagine investing in the construction of a brandnew correction facility, only to discover the energy costs to run said facility climbing upward of $25,000 per month. Even then, comfort levels for inmates and employees alike would be elusive at best — downright frigid at worst.
ABOVE: Comfort was impossible with the jail’s draftiness. Improvements to fix this problem included spraying additional insulation foam where needed, sealing windows and doors and upgrading to LED lighting. (Photo provided by Melanie Lux/Jasper County Sheriff Department) TOP PHOTO: Jasper County Jail’s solar array will have a pollinator habitat, which will benefit the farming community while requiring very little maintenance from the jail. (Photo provided by Melanie Lux/Jasper County Sheriff Department)
52 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021
That’s where inmates and staff in Jasper County, Ind., found themselves when the county built a new jail in 2008. From the beginning, the county experienced nothing but problems with the heating and cooling system and overall energy consumption. According to Pat Williamson, Jasper County sheriff, the temperatures in some offices never reached above 50 degrees. “I was a detective at the time,” said Williamson, “and we were constantly dealing with poor heat in offices and cells.” The building was so inefficient, in fact, that providing extra blankets for inmates became a regular occurrence during cold winter months. Multiple efforts to solve the problem, including swapping the electric heating and cooling system to a boiler and then natural gas, yielded little improvement. “The poor insulation and low quality of windows and door seals,” said Williamson, “made it difficult for any heating system, no matter how good it was, to keep up with the need.” The facility was so drafty, in fact, even the best system would struggle.
