WAYNESBORO — Sen. Mark Warner stopped by the Waynesboro Family YMCA on Friday afternoon, helping tout the facility's recent commitment to thermal solar energy.

"I want to commend everyone who's been involved in this project," said Warner, himself a former YMCA board member for 20 years.

The new installation, scheduled for completion next month, is expected to save the YMCA about $13,000 per month, according to Warner's office.

In early February, the YMCA announced plans to install one of the largest thermal solar projects in the state. With the life-expectancy of the low-maintenance system estimated at 30 years, the YMCA could trim nearly $400,000 in energy costs.

"It's an opportunity to create savings for the YMCA," said Executive Director Jeff Fife, who also noted the solar panels are environmentally friendly. "It's really a win-win for everybody."

Andy Bindea, president of Sigora Solar, the Waynesboro-based company in charge of installing the system which will consist of 40 solar panels weighing more than 6,000 pounds and a custom-built 500-gallon heat storage tank, said work on the project is about 25 percent complete.

Bindea said Warner's office has shown interest in the project — one of 15 the company has been involved in since its inception last April — that could lead to wider acceptance of solar energy.

"Virginia is not necessarily a solar-friendly state," Bindea said.

The $103,000 project was financed with a no-interest loan from Waynesboro residents Bob and Patty Rouse. The YMCA will receive a rebate for the cost of the entire project, when completed, from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy under a program paid for with federal stimulus money.

Sen. Warner also used Friday's meet-and-greet with the public as an opportunity to talk about the country's economic woes.

"It's a challenging time for everybody," he said.

Warner said spending at the federal level must be cut and revenues must be increased. He warned that solutions for fixing the nation's faltering economy can't possibly come from one side of the political aisle.

"Everybody's got to have some skin in the game," he said.