The Rolph Grant Senior Citizens’ Home has seen its electricity bills fall by more than 40 per cent as a result of its energy conservation programme bolstered by the installation of a solar water heater system partially funded by a $500,000 contribution from the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ).

The Home, which previously had electricity bills as high as $52,000 per month, is a self-supporting outreach initiative of the Webster Memorial United Church in Kingston. The facility was established 27 years ago as a retirement home for church members whose spouses had died or who lived alone, and has since evolved into a nursing home which currently has 29 residents ranging from 64 to 100 years old.

In an effort to reduce their electricity bills the Home’s Management Committee began a conservation programme which included switching off lights, unplugging appliances and installing LED bulbs. The committee also undertook a fund-raising drive to purchase a renewable energy solution and approached the PCJ for assistance.

That committee used the funds to procure an 80-gallon solar water heater at a cost of more than $1 million.

At the handover ceremony at the home on Tuesday, June 26, chairman of the committee, Claudette Stephen expressed thanks to the PCJ for their support.

“We want to wholeheartedly thank the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica for its very generous donation of $500,000 towards this project, without which we would not have been able to install a solar water heater system at this time,” she said.

In response, the PCJ’s Group Chief Financial Officer Robert Clarke said, “The PCJ is pleased to lend support for this energy efficiency intervention at the senior citizens’ home, which is in keeping with our drive to increase the use of energy efficient technology to reduce electricity costs. We hope that this solar water heater system will lower the home’s energy bills and help to maintain the high standard of care that the staff provides for the residents.”