LATHAM — Anderson Equipment Co., which sells and repairs construction equipment, announced Friday a plan to renovate and expand its Latham operation on Albany Shaker Road, using clean energy technologies.

It will add 11,168 square feet to its facility. The company will also install solar panels on its roof and dig nine 300- to 400-foot wells to enable geothermic heat to reduce its heating bills.

Anderson Equipment Latham Branch manager Paul Perez said the project will serve as a kind of pilot program for Anderson Equipment’s other seven branch offices in New York state. He said if the energy efficiency elements of the renovations are successful in reducing heating and electricity bills, the company may make the same moves at other offices.

“We believe energy costs are going to increase, they continue to, and also it’s just the right thing to do,” Perez said.

Perez said right now his branch uses heaters fueled by waste oil collected from heavy equipment at the facility to heat its shop areas. The solar panels are expected to provide 20 percent of the electricity for the 5,210-square-foot office portion of the building. The system is also expected to turn the electric meter backward on the weekends when the building is closed, as the unused solar power goes into the power grid.

The project was designed by Latham-based Cotler Architecture and BA Construction Services of Latham is project manager. Anderson Equipment Co. officials would not reveal the cost of the project, but estimated that it would be several million dollars. Construction is set to begin this spring or early summer.

Cotler Architecture President Steve Cotler said Anderson Equipment asked his firm to explore all energy-saving methods available when designing the renovations. He said the geothermic heat system will be key to reducing Anderson Equipment’s heating costs.

“The wells will recirculate water [heated by the warm temperatures under the ground]. The pump will take the heat of the water in the wintertime and in the summertime it’ll do just the opposite … the heat will be taken out of the air and put into the water,” Cotler said.

Perez said several companies are putting in bids to install the geothermal heating systems. He said the systems will help elevate the building’s consistent temperature to about 50 degrees, making it easier to heat it to more comfortable levels during frigid winter conditions. He said the cost savings will pay for the units within several years.

Colleen Ryan, spokeswoman for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said Anderson Equipment is participating in its Peak Load Reduction program to offset up to 65 percent of the cost of installing compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout its facility.

NYSERDA researchers estimate compact fluorescent light bulbs last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs and use 66 percent less electricity.

Perez said federal tax credits will also reduce the cost of installing the roof solar panels by 50 percent.

The majority of the expanded space at the building it expected to be devoted to additional space for equipment repair work and may result in the hiring of three to four new workers, Perez said.

Anderson Equipment Co. now employs about 26 people in Latham. The firm’s headquarters is in Bridgeville, Pa.