BORDEN, Ind. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana school district just made a big investment in its future, with new features that will bring big savings.

Hundreds of solar panels installed at Borden High School now produce a majority of the school's energy. It's an investment the district believes will pay off in the long run.

"Even on a cloudy day, they're producing energy," said Johnny Budd, superintendent of the Borden-Henryville School Corporation. 

They're creating energy so efficiently, Budd said the district is already bringing in big benefits.

"We've cut our energy usage in half," he said.

That means less money going to the energy company and more savings for the district.

"Through the first four months, our operations account is running $187,000 to the good, compared to the previous year in our projections," Budd said. "So, it's really having a strong benefit immediately." 

Borden and Henryville high schools both got solar panels, which began producing energy in March.

Inside the schools, all lights in the gymnasiums, lining the hallways and in classrooms were replaced with LED lighting. A total of 5,000 bulbs were changed across the district which has also helped greatly in saving energy according to Budd. 

Sensors were also installed that can tell when a room is empty and will automatically turn lights off.

"Great money savings, right off the top," said Borden High School Principal Charlie Gardner, adding that there's also a curriculum aspect to it all.

Students will also be able to use portable solar panels provided to each school in science experiments.

"Students can see exactly what we're doing, not only to hear about it, and maybe read about it in the paper, but also be hands-on," Gardner said.

In all, the district spent $4.7 million for the lights and solar panels. Budd says, through the district's debt service rate, they were able to get the funds without raising taxes. Overall, the project is something Budd sees as a worthwhile investment as energy prices continue to rise.

The district expects to save $8.1 million over the next 25 years.

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