With the largest school-owned solar array in West Virginia and a host of other projects, Greenbrier County Schools are making a $14 million investment in energy savings. This rural school district knows the big investment will save money down the road.

After a careful assessment of energy usage, Greenbrier County Schools developed an energy savings performance contract with CMTA, Inc. The contract guarantees the district $559,100 annually in energy savings as a result of the projects. Federal funding added a $2-million elective pay reimbursement through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) guarantee savings for a school. In ESPC agreements the contractor takes on the risk and is responsible for the cost difference if energy savings turn out to be less than promised.

CMTA project manager Jacob Evans explained the model. “Those lower bills, over the course of 15 to 20 years, help you pay for the project,” he said. “We’re going to take that money, reduce it on the utility side, and then you’re going to pay down a loan to get new infrastructure.”

That infrastructure included a 520-kilowatt, 1,000-panel solar array erected at Rupert Elementary and Western Greenbrier Middle School in 2024. Greenbrier County eighth grader Elijah McDaniel is a fan.

“Energy from the sun has been helping power life on Earth for millennia,” he said at a ribbon-cutting. “The benefits of this are reduced air pollutants, greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. It lowers the electricity bill, which can be used for new computers, desks and higher teacher pay.”

Adults agreed. “The significant difference it will make in energy cost and energy efficiency, and also the comfort it will provide for our students and teachers and staff, is truly remarkable,” said Greenbrier County Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Bryant.

CMTA also installed a geothermal, water-source heat pump system at Western Greenbrier Middle School and Rupert Elementary, using 81 geothermal wells and nearly 15 miles of piping. “While we were doing geothermal drilling, we had the subcontractors turn off the systems, and we had our construction manager take groups or classes of middle school students and elementary school students out and just showed them what’s going on,” Evans said.

Solar dashboards show students real-time data on panel performance and energy savings. An outdoor classroom at Rupert elementary school includes an educational diagram and a solar panel that kids can touch and examine up close.

Education on emerging energy sectors is crucial for kids in this rural West Virginia community, where tourism and the service industry are big economic drivers. Agriculture is also important in the county’s economy. A coal company operating in Greenbrier County announced liquidation in 2025.

Evans and another engineer also talked to middle-school students about geothermal and solar technologies. “They asked phenomenal questions that I would not have expected,” Evans said.

Greenbrier County Schools serve about 4,700 students at 14 schools across the county. The schools will see a total energy reduction of about 27 percent.

Each building got new LED lighting—over 9,900 fixtures in all. Multiple buildings got new HVAC controls so units could function more efficiently—”a huge driver in energy savings,” Evans said. Windows were upgraded at Greenbrier East High School. A steam boiler system and rooftop units at Smoot Elementary School were replaced with a variable refrigerant flow system and upgraded electrical service. A chiller was repurposed, and spray foam improved roof insulation.

In 2025, a 61-kilowatt solar array went up at Rainelle Elementary School, completing Greenbrier County Schools’ energy efficiency upgrades. “Our number-one goal at Greenbrier County Schools is to provide what’s best for our students and staff, and we strive to have some of the greatest facilities,” said Board of Education President Jeanie Wyatt. “With our challenges with our budgets, it gets difficult. And one of the challenges is our energy costs, because every year they continue to grow.” 

Universities, local governments and private businesses can also enter into an energy savings performance contract (ESPC). “They should consider their energy bills,” Evans said. “If their schools are running HVAC equipment 24/7 or they feel like they’re spending a lot on their bills, that would be maybe your first inclination that this performance contract could be a good funding mechanism to help upgrade infrastructure. Anybody that has failing infrastructure, this is an option for them.”