The School District of Oconee County has been awarded $311,823 in federal stimulus funds by the South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office to replace a 25-year-old chiller at West-Oak High School.

“The existing system at West-Oak is immensely inefficient because of its design and age,” said John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office. “With this stimulus money, the district will be able to work towards becoming more energy efficient while saving money on their monthly power bills.”

Replacing this outdated equipment will save the district $60,735 annually.

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.