Click here for original submission.
The achievement: By updating building automation systems, converting to LEDs for interior and exterior lighting, and retrofitting the HVAC system, doors, and windows, the school district saved more than $15 million in utility costs.
The challenge: Our biggest challenge is to contribute to learning environments that ensure the safety, health, and well-being of the students and staff, and to do so while being prudent with taxpayer money.
We started our energy conservation program in 2007.
With the guidance from an energy management consulting company, we saved by conducting energy audits and monitoring utility bills closely. We have learned to better utilize our automated building controls and have completed many facility upgrades throughout our district that have significantly contributed to our energy savings. Some of the energy-conscious enhancements we have made since launching our conservation program include: interior and exterior lighting upgrades; HVAC replacement and upgrades; windows and door replacements; and roofing replacements. As a result of our efforts, we have documented more than $15 million in cost avoidance in nine years with our utility costs.
We continue to strive to find better ways to monitor and reduce our energy usage without compromising an optimum environment for educating our students. Throughout this journey, we have done more than simply upgrade our facilities. Staff and students alike now realize that being energy conscious yields dividends beyond the cost savings.
— Tim O’Brien, Environmental, Health and Safety Manager
Maintenance and Engineering Stars: 2016 FMDAA Recipients
Sustainability: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, Fla.
Sustainability: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Renovations and Retrofits: University of La Verne, La Verne, Calif.
Renovations and Retrofits: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
Financial Management: Westerville (Ohio) School District
Financial Management: Kettering (Ohio) School District
Personnel Management: Orange County, Orlando, Fla.
Personnel Management: Johnson and Wales University, Providence, R.I.
