The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has presented TSP, an architecture and engineering firm with offices in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska, with its 2019 Project of the Year award. The accolade recognizes residential and commercial projects powered by propane.

The contest, which launched this year, was open to builders, remodelers, architects, engineers, and trade professionals in the U.S. TSP focuses on commercial projects in education, healthcare, and community, and won PERC’s $10,000 grand prize for its work on Andres Central High School in Lake Andres, S.D.

“With this contest, we are excited to recognize construction professionals achieving world-class building projects by incorporating propane-powered appliances,” said Bryan Cordill, director of residential and commercial business development at PERC. “Propane can power nearly every system throughout a home or commercial building, including water heaters, furnaces, kitchens, outdoor living amenities, and more.”

TSP’s winning project included designing a 55,000-sq-ft high school and linking the new construction to an existing 25,000-sq-ft elementary school. The project featured the installation of a number of sustainable, energy-efficient elements, among them two propane boilers and two propane water heaters. The school’s existing kitchen already incorporated propane appliances.

The high-efficiency, propane-fueled appliances were chosen to help the school cut energy consumption. The aim is to curtail the energy used in order to achieve the best return on the energy investment, said Debra Lucas, Andres Central School District superintendent.

TSP in turn donated its $10,000 cash prize to Andres Central School District. Jared Nesje, CEO of TSP, presented the check to school board president Debbie Housman and other board members at a meeting in November. Lucas said the prize money would be used to buy new playground equipment.

For more information regarding PERC’s Propane Project of the Year contest, visit Propane/com/Project-of-the-Year. To learn more about the benefits of propane appliances, visit Propane.com/Commercial-Buildings-and-Construction.

(SOURCE: The Weekly Propane Newsletter, December 16, 2019. Available by subscription.)