K-12 Solutions for Building Energy Excellence
For K-12 School Districts, education remains the primary focus of the sector. However, districts continue to face student population growth, aging infrastructure, rising energy costs, reduced annual operating budgets, and increased plug load demands in the classroom. Better Buildings Challenge K-12 Partners are using innovative approaches to make energy efficiency an operations and maintenance priority. Energy efficiency offers the potential to redirect significant savings back to educating students while establishing a safe, healthy, and productive environment for learning. K-12 partners have shared the following practices, programs, and policies that help advance clean energy goals and build energy literacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula:
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TOOLSAlbuquerque Public Schools' Energy Conservation Incentive Program Solutions at a GlanceAlbuquerque Public Schools’ Energy Conservation Incentive Program establishes best practices and clearly defines roles and responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodians, and students working to implement energy savings.Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) developed a Comprehensive Maintenance Plan to remotely monitor and control school building operations, which has helped AACPS to improve portfolio-wide energy performance by 12%.Bullitt County Public Schools: District Energy Plan Solutions at a GlanceBullitt County Public School District (KY) developed a district-wide energy plan to identify and implement cost-saving measures and develop staff and student commitment to energy management practices. The District has saved nearly $3.9 million in energy and operational costs over 10 years.Resource Conservation Management Program Solutions at a GlanceCamas School District, WA established a resource conservation management program that helped the district meet its initial Better Buildings Challenge goal five years ahead of its 2020 target – reducing energy use by 20% in 2015 from a 2009 baseline.Douglas County School District, NV financed $10.7 million in the first phase of energy efficiency improvements through an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) paired with a tax-exempt installment-purchase agreement (IPA). The project achieved energy cost savings of nearly $510,000 in the first year.Public-Private Partnership Results in Solar Panels for Arizona School District Solutions at a GlanceTo meet the electricity needs of 21 locations with limited funding, Arizona's Dysart Unified School District partnered with Constellation Solar AZ to install solar panels and purchase the generated electricity back at a discounted rate. The system is projected to yield savings of $14 million over 20 years.CE Clean Energy, Bright Futures Program Brings Renewable Energy to Schools Solutions at a GlancePPS partnered with its public utility and local non-profits to fund the construction of nearly 2 MW of renewable power across more than two dozen schools through the CE Clean Energy, Bright Futures program.Poudre School District's Sustainability Management System Enables Cost Savings Solutions at a GlancePoudre School District (CO) adopted a Sustainability Management System (SMS) that extends principles of sustainability to all of its operations and reaffirms its commitment in this practice. As a result, the school district completed over 260 energy efficiency projects and saved over $2 million in energy costs.
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