Herald Journal

April 20, 2008

Cache schools set example in conservation

By Devin Felix

Workers are now in the process of digging 180 wells in the ground near Mountainside Elementary School in Mendon, and school district officials are hoping the effort will lead to huge savings in the years to come.

The idea is to use heat generated by the earth to heat the school in the winter. A pipe will run in a closed loop through each of the 150-foot wells, which will heat a liquid inside. Pumps will then extract that heat and use it to warm the air in the school. Cache County School District is hoping the system will save on gas bills in the future.

The system is the first of its kind in the district and the second in a school in Cache Valley — Bridger Elementary in Logan also has such a system. It is a physical symbol of a growing movement among school districts and organizations across the country to reduce energy use and cut utility bills.

But there’s more to it than just saving money, said Bruce James, energy manager for Cache District.

“Part of the reason is because of the savings, but it also speaks well of the district to do something that’s ecologically advantageous,” James said.

In 2004, the Cache district became a client of a Texas company called Energy Education Inc. The company works with school districts and other organizations across the country to help them reduce their energy costs. Using the company’s services costs money, especially at first, but the money it helps a district save far outweighs what it charges, James said.

Also, if a district doesn’t save more than what the company charges for its services, it will pay the district the difference, James said.

As part of the company’s program, each participating district hires someone to be an energy manager. That person is responsible for overseeing the district’s conservation efforts and teaching district employees about ways to conserve.

The company sends consultants specializing in specific areas such as water use and heating to evaluate schools and provide suggestions for changes throughout a four-year contract term, James said. They also provide software that analyzes use and cost trends, James said. After the four-year contract is up, the district no longer receives regular consultant visits but can call for their assistance if problems arise, he said.

Since Cache district started employing Energy Education Inc. they’ve saved more than $1.3 million dollars they would have otherwise spent on utilities, James said. If the district is saving so much money, where is it now?

“The money’s really still in their pocket,” James said. “It equates with not having to raise taxes and more money to spend on other things needed in the schools.”

The best measure of whether the program is really saving money is not always whether utility costs have gone down, said Cache District Business Manager Dale Hansen. Because energy costs have increased significantly recently, the savings from year to year aren’t most accurately reflected in how much a district spends on utilities, Hansen said.

“It’s not always about seeing a reduction in the cost of utility bills, it’s more a measure of having a lower increase in expenditures than you would have had if you hadn’t undertaken the program,” he said

Because of those varying prices, Energy Education Inc. uses the term “cost avoidance” to describe the savings, James said. To calculate how much a district is saving, the company takes into account how many units of electricity, gas and other utilities the district used before the company started helping them and factors in changes in energy costs. Because of rising energy costs, there is usually a difference between units saved and money saved, he said.

For example, in February, Cache District spent $172,326 on utilities. Without their current energy management practices, their estimated cost for the month would have been $214,790. The district saved about 20 percent on costs, but it used about 24 percent less units of gas and electricity

Logan District will start employing Energy Education Inc. this year. The program will cost $109,200 each year for four years, plus the salary of an energy manager, said Mike Monson, support services director for the district.

The company estimates Logan District will save $144,300 in the first year, and increasing amounts each year after. After the four year contract is up, the district will no longer pay the company, so the savings will then climb, Monson said. In the seventh year, Energy Education estimates the district will save $482,705.

Logan District plans to hire an energy manager this week. Monson said the ideal candidate is not necessarily someone who knows a lot about heating and cooling, but having someone who is good with people is a must. Much of the job depends on the energy manager’s ability to encourage district personnel and teach them ways to cut back on energy use.

As Cache District’s energy manager, James said he visits each school in the district once or twice a month at different times of day. Sometimes he comes before school starts or at night when everyone has gone home. Other times he comes when school is in session.

He checks to see if lights are turned off when rooms are unoccupied and if computers and other equipment are turned off. He checks to see if windows and doors are sealed properly. As he goes, he fills out a report, where he makes note of any concerns. Copies of the report go to the school’s principal and custodian so they can make any necessary changes.

James said it’s important for an energy manager to avoid coming across as a nuisance.

“We’re not the police and we’re not there to tattle on anybody,” he said. “The thing we’re there for is to help modify behavior.”

If employees think about energy use at school the same way they think about it at home — where they pay the bill — they are more likely to conserve, James said. He hopes to teach people to be aware that everything they use in a school has the potential to increase costs.

Little things such as lights or computers left on may not seem like much, but they can add up quickly, James said. Across a district like Cache, which has 24 facilities covering nearly two million square feet, those little things can mean thousands of dollars difference in utility costs each month.

In addition to small behavioral changes at the individual level, broader procedural changes can make a big difference. For example, Logan District runs a variety of programs for students and the community at its schools in the summer, Monson said. This year, the district plans to cut down on energy use by holding most of those activities in just three of its schools, Logan High, Mount Logan Middle School and Hillcrest Elementary, he said.

District officials are even considering having only a four-day work week during the summer, eliminating the need for lights or air conditioning one day each week, Monson said.

Monson and James both emphasize that energy conservation efforts in their districts are not coming at the expense of teacher or student comfort in the schools. Of highest importance is ensuring that students have an environment the promotes learning, James said.

Michael Thompson, principal of Cedar Ridge Middle School said he and his staff have increased their awareness of energy concerns since the district undertook the program.

“I think it’s had a very positive effect,” Thompson said. “It hasn’t created a problem for any of our faculty and staff and I think it’s been very effective in saving energy.”

James said he is pleased his district is saving about 18 to 19 percent on utilities, but he hopes to increase those savings from 25 to 35 percent.

“There’s always something more you can do,” he said.