Flowery Branch is looking to save up to $20,000 per year through an energy-saving measure at its sewer treatment plant off Atlanta Highway.

Patrick Kelly Electric Inc., a Powder Springs company, this week began installing variable frequency drives and a master control panel, equipment that should cut down on the amount of air that’s blown in certain plant operations.

“Right now, the blowers we have run at a certain strength, and they’re adjusted manually,” City Planner James Riker said. “As a result, they’re only adjusted when (employees) are staffing the plant.”

With the new equipment, the blowers “will be able to adjust automatically based on the conditions of the plant and through all hours of the day,” he added. “... We will essentially be able to reduce the power bill for the plant.”

According to a description of the project by the city’s consulting engineer, Bob Troxler, and the company that made the equipment, Dresser Roots, the blowers “force air into the mixture of wastewater and organisms so that oxygen is available for the organisms to break down organic matter properly.”

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, with money from the U.S. Department of Energy, awarded a grant of $204,000 to the city for the improvements, which also included some smaller energy fixes. As part of the agreement, the city pays for costs up front and is reimbursed later.

“So far, they have paid us for the equipment, which has totaled $155,000,” Riker said. “Every dime the city has spent has been reimbursed.”

The project should be completed in the next four weeks.

Afterward, “we’ll be able to start tracking the energy savings at the plant,” Riker said.

The project came about after a Georgia Power audit of all Flowery Branch’s government buildings discovered that the city could save money from some energy improvements at the plant. Troxler suggested the frequency drives be installed on the blowers, Riker said.

City Manager Bill Andrew later found a “grant opportunity” related to the project.

“We looked into it and thought there might be some opportunities to re-evaluate (operations) at the treatment plant,” Riker said.