Energy Conservation Praised

Inglewood this week received kudos from a state commission for saving energy by installing a cost-cutting new cooling system at City Hall.

“Others need to pay attention to Inglewood,” said Stephen M. Rhoads, executive director of the California Energy Commission. He told city officials that Inglewood is a leader among California cities in energy conservation.

The city’s Thermal Energy Storage Cooling System, which cost $453,000, was dedicated Tuesday, though it began operating in early June. Expected to save the city more than $100,000 a year, it was bought with a $400,000 loan from the California Energy Commission and an $85,000 grant from Southern California Edison Co., city officials said.

The computerized cooling system consists of a 144-ton low-temperature refrigeration plant, a pumping plant and a 1600-ton-per-hour ice bank. During off-peak hours, it manufactures ice that is used later to chill water to air-condition the building. It will save money by shifting 428 kilowatts of daily electricity use to the night, when demand and utility rates are lower, officials said.