Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School has been awarded $70,822 in federal energy stimulus funds by the South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s South Carolina Energy Office.

The school will make several improvements to increase its energy efficiency. Improvements will include installing new water heating equipment, replacing the existing transformer with a commercial grade model and replacing windows in a residential dorm.

“This grant will allow the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School to replace inefficient equipment that has been in operation at the school since the current campus was built in 1970,” said John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office. “The school will save over $8,000 annually in utility costs.”

The state’s 85 school districts are sharing $20.3 million in grants and loans for energy efficiency.  The state’s public colleges and universities are receiving a total of $12.2 million, and state agencies are getting $7.4 million for energy efficiency improvements.