ADVANCE
with Eblen Intermediate
BUNCOMBE COUNTY IS ADVANCING TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
In Buncombe County, several sustainability projects are positioning the county to be a leader in North Carolina's clean energy future. At the end of 2017, the Buncombe County government set a goal to go 100 percent renewable for all county operations by 2030, and 100 percent renewable as a community by 2042. To read more about Buncombe County's 100 percent renewable energy plan and view their plan for reaching their goals, check out their website.
The county is focusing on energy efficiency in addition to renewables, such as the solar farm at the old Woodfin landfill. And, at Buncombe County schools such as Eblen Intermediate, they are educating their students and contributing toward a more sustainable future by prioritizing energy conservation and energy efficiency.
View Buncombe County's 100 percent renewable energy plan.
NC Sustainable Energy Association is proud to call Buncombe County a Member.
Jeremiah LeRoy
Sustainability Officer at Buncombe County Government
Alesha Reardon
Energy Manager at Buncombe County Schools
Eblen Intermediate School is a Silver LEED Certified school with a variety of clean energy technologies installed throughout the campus. Natural daylighting, a solar thermal system for the cafeteria kitchen, and a rain water collection system for field irrigation all help to ensure that Eblen Intermediate teaches its students how to be good economic and environmental stewards.
Over the last two years, Buncombe County Schools have undertaken a project to retrofit their fluorescent
lighting to LED lighting.
47 buildings
Five million square feet
Nearly 50,000 light fixtures
Once the project has been completed, the county will save over $900,000 in utility costs each year.
The solar farm at the old Woodfin landfill demonstrates that Buncombe County can achieve their 100 percent renewable goals—it is already offsetting about 15 percent of Buncombe County's energy use from their over two-million-square-feet building portfolio.