School building projects will save money, reduce energy use and waste, generate energy
Solar panels on top of Lewiston Elementary School
Cache County School District believes in educating students for success in a changing world. That success also applies in the changing world of being more energy conscious and efficient. Several projects have been on-going in our schools with the goal of saving energy and money. Projects include upgrading lighting fixtures in the schools, utilizing motion sensors, caulking and weatherstripping, heating automation, pool upgrades, and the use of solar panels to help retain and reduce the district’s energy use.
This $15 million project began in the summer of 2019. According to CCSD facilities manager Bruce Parker and district energy manager Bruce James, the project will pay for itself within 20 years with the projects’ energy savings. The criteria for these projects were based on the financial benefits. Many people have been working tirelessly to complete these projects.
Upgrading district lighting was the biggest segment of the project. In the words of Bruce Parker, “LED light technology has gotten to the point where it makes a lot of sense - the payback is just too good to pass up.” Almost every light fixture in the district was retrofitted, totaling over 35,000 light fixtures and 104,000 LED tubes. Motion sensors were also installed in every occupied space so that when the room is unoccupied, the lights turn off and energy is saved. A typical example of savings after the lighting retrofit is Greenville Elementary, which saves approximately $1,400 per month.
To help reduce the amount of energy used for heating the buildings, crews used infrared cameras to see where the buildings were losing heat. Several miles of caulking went into weatherstripping doors and windows across the district. Building heating automation was also installed in many district buildings. Instead of having individual thermostats in every room, thermostats are now connected to a central location to control the entire building’s temperature. The U.S. Department of Energy says that building systems automation saves 15-20% of the building’s energy. Tighter control of thermostats and turning off heat on weekends and nights also save 10% of energy. In a district as large as Cache County, that energy adds up very quickly.
The district’s two swimming pools at Sky View and Mountain Crest High Schools also received some energy-saving upgrades. The chlorination systems were upgraded to use salt-based chlorine. A harmless liquid pool cover solution was added to provide a barrier on the water to keep the heated water warm.
After analyzing every building in the district, Summit and Lewiston Elementary Schools were selected to receive solar panels, thanks to the Blue Sky Grant from Rocky Mountain Power. The grant provided a total subsidy of $637,255. Not only will the solar panels provide the energy for the school buildings every year, but over the next 25 years, it is projected that the solar panels will generate an additional $461,617 of energy.
This energy-conscious and efficient project provided much-needed upgrades for the district and will have long-lasting benefits. “As a district, we have always tried to be energy conscious,” Bruce Parker emphasized. “Financially, it makes perfect sense. The project literally pays for itself. With these changes, we are able to be more financially responsible.”