Parkway School District: South High School
Solution Overview
Parkway South High School is one of 30 schools within the Parkway School District and has a student population of approximately 1,648.
Background
Parkway South High School is the largest school and most significant energy consumer in Parkway School District. The school became a prime candidate for a long-term, sustainable solution in 2016 after one of two chillers in its aging chiller plant became non-functional. As part of an energy savings performance contract, a central geothermal plant was installed in addition to building envelope sealing and LED lighting. Installation of a 75 kW solar array and retro-commissioning were also recently completed onsite.
Solutions
Replacing fluorescent lights with more energy efficient LED lighting and occupancy sensors was a relatively simple way to decrease the school's energy use. Building envelope improvements included upgrading the insulation and installing new roofing. Geothermal energy is renewable and does not produce greenhouse gasses, so installing a new geothermal plant for the school lessened its environmental impact and helped to decrease overall energy use and expense.
Savings Measure | Cost | Savings Achieved | Notes |
| Geothermal/Chiller Plant Upgrades | $2,713,279 | 1,372,935 kWh | New heater-chiller plant to replace aging chillers and eliminate existing heating boilers. Borefield with 120 vertical wells 500 ft deep. |
| Building Envelope Upgrades | $70,585 | 160,466 kWh | |
| LED lighting retrofits and controls | $191,136 | 420,177 kWh | |
| 75 kW solar PV array | $149,975 | 99,167 kWh | In addition to previously installed 25 kW array bringing total onsite capacity to 100 kW of rooftop solar PV. |
Retro-commissioning work helped to identify where improvements and changes needed to be made to help the school's HVAC system conserve energy. Some of the changes involved making sure that equipment was running only when needed, and that sensors were properly calibrated.
Savings Measure | Cost | Savings Achieved | Notes |
| RCx - DAT/DSP Reset | $4,365 | 101,000 kWh | Create reset schedules for various AHUs, based upon Terminal Unit demand. |
| RCx – CO2 Control & TAB | $157,325 | 469,000 kWh | Utilize Existing CO2 Sensors to reduce minimum airflow requirements in spaces when unoccupied. Calibrate airflow sensors supplying excessive. Allow cooling minimum airflow setpoint to fall to 0 during unoccupied times. |
| RCx – RTE-014 On/Off | $2,800 | 171,000 kWh | Two units were running constantly due to existing setpoints –ON/OFF settings altered to ensure the units turn off during unoccupied. |
| RCx – Unoccupancy Setpoints and Temp Range Modifications | $5,265 | 16,400 kWh | Update setpoint that calls for the units to start during unoccupied times. Adjust the user controls of common spaces locking out adjustment controls to BAS only. Correct simultaneous heating and cooling in one of the air handlers. |
Other Benefits
Parkway secured utility rebate incentives totaling $228,963 across all of the projects. South High’s ENERGY STAR score has increased by 65% going from 43 to 71. These measures are expected to improve the overall performance of the building and reduce maintenance needs and costs. The geothermal plant is designed for a longer lifespan while providing opportunities to continue tying in sections of the building over time.
Image Gallery
100 kW of rooftop solar arrays provide clean energy to the building and help to reduce energy bills.
120 vertical wells are drilled 500 ft deep into a field adjacent to the building.
