In May of 2018, the Board of Directors heard about a program that could potentially help the community reduce costs by using water storage tanks and solar panels. After doing some homework, we found that the Association could, in fact, reduce on gas, boiler and electricity expenses (due to the boilers having to operate less)! The Board has been working diligently for over a year on this project and we’re excited to share that, beginning in August 2019, we were finally ready to move forward with the installation!

Impact to the residents will be minimal but we always want to keep our residents informed. Solar panels are going to be installed on the carport roofs, and some on the building roof of the 1480 building. There will be five (5) stainless steel storage water storage tanks; three (3) along the east wall, one (1) is located next to carport 242 and the other two (2) by carport 59. One will be located on the corner of where carports 164 and 199 meet, and the last will be in the fenced-in area where boiler 5 is located.

The anticipated savings will primarily come from savings to the cost of gas utilized to heat the water used in the community. Expected estimated savings per year to the HOA are $21,948.00. Over the 25-year life expectancy of the system, this equates to about $548,730.00! That’s a lot of money! We also anticipate to see savings on the boilers themselves as they will be seeing reduced usage by not having to heat cold water, and savings in our electricity bill as a result. While it’s difficult to quantify these savings, the reduction in wear-and-tear to our boilers seems very promising as well!

Of course, there will be some initial costs associated with the installation of the storage tanks. Costs are minimal compared to the anticipated savings but are still worth sharing. Once the tanks are installed, the Board of Directors will review bids at an upcoming meeting to place fencing around the tanks located by carports 59, 242 and the corner 164:199. There will also be annual maintenance of the storage tanks at a cost of about $3,078 per year. Again, these maintenance costs are nominal once we consider the benefit that this project will bring to the community.

Creekside Village is reducing its carbon footprint while producing an annual savings to the homeowners. We trust that the membership can join in our excitement on this positive and progressive project! In the future, the Board of Directors hopes to explore solar energy options as well… stay tuned! Enjoy a greener community!