The South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office has awarded Marlboro County Schools $151,575 in federal stimulus funds to replace outdated and inefficient heating and air conditioning units.

The district will be replacing a total of 64 HVAC units in McColl Elementary/Middle School and Bennettsville Elementary and Primary Schools.

“We had plans to reduce the energy consumption in our schools,” said Jimmy Toole, Marlboro County Schools Director of Operations. “These funds are allowing us to expand that project to a much greater depth than we would be able to do without the stimulus.”

The district will see a significant decrease in its energy costs in these buildings, saving  more than $26,000 annually with improved energy efficiency. 

“For a smaller school district like Marlboro County, these types of improvements are often harder to come by,” said John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office. “Because the district will be receiving this stimulus money, it will be able to make much needed improvements to several schools.”

The state’s 85 school districts are sharing $20.3 million in grants and loans for energy efficiency.  The state’s two- and four-year colleges are receiving a total of $12.2 million, and state agencies are getting $7.4 million for energy efficiency improvements.  Each entity’s allocation is based on the size of the organization’s energy bill.