”We will be installing new lighting across the district and also upgrading our heating, air conditioning and ventilation controls,” Lackeysaid.
All schools in the district, the board offices, transportation garage and the maintenance facility are part of the project. Work already is underway at the high school and the project is expected to be completed by June 30, said Lackey.
“It’s an exciting project for us to continue in the efforts we’ve already been involved in for the last few years to try to conserve energy and lower our energy costs,” Lackey said.
The total cost of the project is $2,414,000 and is expected to pay for itself over 10 years. It’s expected to save the district a total of $240,832 annually. The district is using a funding mechanism through the Ohio School Facilities Commission Energy Conservation Program which allows school districts limited authority to borrow money for energy efficient projects and use the cost savings to pay for the projects, according to OSFC.
The district has trimmed energy costs by about 21 percent during the last two years through new contracts for electricity and natural gas as well as some in-house conservation measures like reducing the use of lights and making sure the heating and air conditioning units are running as efficiently as possible, Lackey said. He said milder winters during the past two years also contributed to the drop in energy costs.
The district spent $1.5 million on energy costs — electricity and natural gas — in 2012, Lackey said.
“It is always encouraging when the school district we are working with is as excited as we are to implement an energy conservation project,” Bob Housmann, operations manager for Energy Optimizers said in a release.
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