The Macon-Bibb County Courthouse received significant upgrades to lighting, HVAC system, building automation, and electrical infrastructure. While these upgrades may not be visible right away, you will notice a difference walking in, and over time, the County will save money.
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The Macon-Bibb Facilities Management Department converted every lighting fixture in the courthouse to LED lights, installed occupancy sensors so lights do not need to be on all of the time, and replaced all of the HVAC equipment. Over the weekend of April 10, machinery blocked off portions of 2nd Street as crews worked to replace the HVAC units on the courthouse’s roof. Some of those units weigh around 20,000 lbs.
“We’re completely changing the HVAC system to the latest and greatest shared refrigerant system rather than the old cooling towers and boiling systems that have been there,” said Robert Ryals, Director of County Facilities Management Department. “We’re glad we were able to make these upgrades in time for jury trials that started back up this week.”
Ryals says another plus that will save the county money, is the Building Automation Control (BAC), which is a newer control for HVAC systems. They will help crews monitor equipment and make sure it is running at its optimal performance. Technicians in the facilities department will be able to monitor the units and even resolve some issues remotely.
The courthouse upgrades are part of a larger energy savings project that commissioners approved in 2020. It is called Macon-Bibb’s Capital Stewardship Program, costing around $24 million, but is expected to generate around $36.4 million through energy savings.
Ten buildings throughout the county will benefit from this program. Those include:
- Macon Coliseum
- Edgar H. Wilson Convention Center
- Macon City Auditorium
- County Courthouse
- County Courthouse Annex
- Macon-Bibb Government Center
- Emergency Management Agency Bunker
- The Grand Opera House
- Middle Georgia Regional Airport
- Historic Luther Williams Field