City of Elkton, Kentucky — Municipal Energy Modernization Project

In Brief: The Project at a Glance

• Elkton wanted a smarter, more sustainable way to modernize aging city facilities without straining the local budget.
• AFP engineers dug into years of utility data, evaluated equipment performance, and built a plan around the systems delivering the fastest gains.
• The project upgraded HVAC, lighting, controls, and added on-site solar — all designed to lower costs, reduce maintenance, and give the city clear insight into long-term performance.

Setting the Stage

Elkton’s city buildings were operating on equipment that had outlived its intended service life. HVAC reliability was inconsistent, lighting was outdated, and utility bills were trending upward year after year. Routine maintenance was increasingly reactive, and leadership wanted a long-term solution. They weren’t simply looking for a patch.

At the same time, Elkton wanted a partner who could help secure rebates through TVA and provide real transparency around energy performance.

AFP’s role was clear: Understand the full picture, prioritize the highest-value improvements, and deliver a solution the city could trust for decades.

Our Approach

Our Approach: Engineering the Solution

AFP launched the project by conducting a detailed assessment of Elkton’s utility patterns, equipment condition, and system performance across the covered facilities. The engineering team identified several priority areas:

• HVAC systems drawing excessive energy for their age and capacity
• Mixed lighting types, with a heavy presence of older fluorescent fixtures
• Limited building controls, making it difficult for staff to optimize performance
• Opportunities for solar to offset daytime municipal load

Using this information, AFP built a technically sound, fiscally responsible project that aligned with the city’s goals and qualified for TVA rebate incentives. Throughout the process, AFP maintained consistent communication with Mayor Green and city staff.

The end result was a modernized infrastructure package built for reliability and long-term savings.

The Work: Scope of Improvements

The Elkton project wasn’t a one-building effort — it was a full municipal modernization plan that touched five separate facilities, each with its own needs and inefficiencies. Instead of treating the city as a single energy consumer, AFP engineers evaluated each building individually, identifying the improvements that would yield the strongest returns.

City Hall

City Hall had already made small steps toward efficiency, but several legacy lighting fixtures remained. AFP completed a full LED relamp, standardizing wattage, color temperature, and fixture quality across the building. These upgrades reduced electrical load and improved visual clarity for staff and visitors.

• Annual Savings: 9,175 kWh, worth $1,159.65.

Fire Department

Similar to City Hall, the Fire Department benefited from a uniform LED retrofit. Even as one of the smallest buildings in the portfolio, the electrical savings were meaningful.

• Annual Savings: 2,429 kWh, worth $306.50.

Police Department

The Police Department was one of the most impactful sites for both lighting and solar. AFP replaced outdated fixtures, added occupancy sensors where appropriate, and installed a 6,761 kWh/year solar array to offset on‑site consumption.

• Annual Lighting Savings: 9,221 kWh
• Annual Solar Generation: 6,761 kWh
• Total Annual Savings: 20,874 kWh and $2,754.93

Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)

The WWTP is Elkton’s most energy‑intensive facility. AFP deployed a large solar PV system and upgraded lighting across the complex. The combination of high daytime load and available roof/ground space made WWTP the ideal candidate for solar.

• Annual Lighting Savings: 12,581 kWh
• Annual Solar Generation: 170,655 kWh
• Total Annual Savings: 183,236 kWh, worth $12,940.32, the largest of any city facility.

Welcome Center

Aging infrastructure and an unconditioned second floor made the Welcome Center a priority site for mechanical upgrades. AFP installed two (2) twinned 5‑ton split‑system HVAC units with gas heat, providing full conditioning to the building while improving efficiency and comfort.

• Annual HVAC Savings: 9,316 kWh + 282.6 therms
• Annual Lighting Savings: 2,557 kWh
• Total Annual Savings: 11,873 kWh and $1,677.59

Across all facilities, these improvements translated to major reductions in wasted energy, lower mechanical strain, and more predictable utility budgets.

Monitoring & Transparency

A standout element of the project is Elkton’s public solar dashboard, powered by SolarWeb.

Live Dashboard:
https://www.solarweb.com/PublicDisplay?token=189bfca2-bcce-40a7-850e-33da43c3abed

Why this matters

• Real-time transparency – Anyone, from citizens to council members, can see live solar generation, cumulative output, and system health.
• Data for budgeting – The dashboard records long-term production, allowing Elkton to compare utility usage versus solar offset and build more accurate forecasts.
• Maintenance insight – If production drops unexpectedly, the data provides early warning to AFP or city staff.
• Community engagement – Public visibility demonstrates the city’s commitment to sustainability and responsible stewardship.

How AFP integrated it

1. Installed compatible inverters/data loggers during the solar phase.
2. Configured secure telemetry to SolarWeb’s servers.
3. Set up a PublicDisplay link for read-only viewing.
4. Verified real-time data flow during commissioning.
5. Trained city staff on how to check and interpret performance data.

This dashboard continues to help Elkton validate the performance of its investment.

Results: Measured Impact

Elkton’s modernization project produced measurable improvements across every building in the portfolio. The combination of LED lighting, targeted HVAC upgrades, and strategic solar deployment reduced operational costs, stabilized comfort, and lowered long‑term mechanical strain.

Citywide Performance Improvements

• Total Annual Electricity Reduction: ~237,000+ kWh saved or produced across all facilities (lighting, HVAC efficiency, and solar combined)
• Natural Gas Savings: ~283 therms annually from the Welcome Center HVAC improvements
• Largest Contributor: WWTP with 183,236 kWh saved annually
• Peak Load Reduction: Solar deployment at Police and WWTP adds resilience and predictable daytime offset

EUI (Energy Use Intensity) Reductions

The engineering upgrades delivered substantial reductions in each building’s energy intensity:

• City Hall: 58.2 → 46.5 kBtu/sf
• Fire Department: 49.8 → 46.8 kBtu/sf
• Police Department: 46.4 → 25.4 kBtu/sf (a major drop)
• Wastewater Treatment Plant: 987.5 → 681.1 kBtu/sf
• Welcome Center: 93.1 → 82.1 kBtu/sf

Operational Impact

• More predictable utility budgeting, especially with real‑time solar visibility
• Lower maintenance burden due to LED retrofits and refreshed HVAC assets
• Improved comfort in buildings previously plagued by temperature swings
• Reduced risk at critical facilities such as WWTP and Police Department

These improvements give Elkton long‑term stability — not just in utility costs, but in the reliability of the public buildings residents depend on.

What’s Next?

With modern systems and real-time visibility in place, Elkton is well-positioned for the next decade of operations. The infrastructure upgrades reduce risk, lower costs, and create a foundation the city can build on, whether for future energy projects, technology upgrades, or expanded municipal services.