Albuquerque Public Schools' Energy Conservation Incentive Program

Overview

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), NM created the Energy Conservation Program which establishes best practices for educating administrators, teachers, custodians, and students to implement energy savings. By clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of team members, APS ensures a partnership between individual schools and the maintenance and operations departments that implement energy and environmental measures.

A multi-functional executive leadership team, known as the Water and Energy Conservation Committee (WECC), is responsible for implementing and monitoring the district’s energy program. Members of the WECC include representatives from the district’s facilities design and construction, finance, capital master plan, and information technology divisions in collaboration with public utilities. The Water and Energy Management Org Chart indicates the functional area tasks under the WECC. This collaborative approach is credited with record utility cost savings over the past few years due to actions such as powering down electric systems during the winter break, saving $61,200; consolidating summer school support and operations, saving $345,840 in expenses; and installing HVAC control systems in portable classrooms, saving over $40,000 annually.

The WECC uses the Energy Conservation Program to demonstrate the key to successfully reaching energy efficiency goals is the energy team at each school and the fulfillment of their responsibilities. The monetary incentives cultivate a culture of energy efficiency by integrating conservation and energy efficiency into the curriculum, assigning conservation champions and establishing competitions under the leadership of school principals and implemented by teachers, students, and custodial teams.

Energy Conservation Program

Albuquerque Public Schools' Energy Conservation Incentive Program

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