News/Press

School janitor holds district's power

But as District 118’s energy specialist, he uses his feet more than his hands.
“People look at this job and say it’s easy,” said Harrier, who was recognized at Wednesday’s school board meeting for a recent state award naming him an “environmental hero.”

“There’s a lot more to it than just flipping light switches.”

Harrier, also the head janitor at Danville High School, sports a pair of well-worn tennis shoes for his job, which has him continually scouring all of the district’s 13 buildings looking for ways to save energy.

“I put a pedometer on a little while back and at the end of the day I had walked 14 miles,” he said.

It’s earned him the nickname “Cutback Jack,” which he wears proudly as proof his effort to remind teachers, students and other employees to turn off lights and computers when they leave has been received.

And all that walking has paid off in the pocketbook as well. Since the district starting utilizing energy tips from contractor Energy Education four years ago it has saved about $1.2 million in energy costs.

“It’s saved us money we could spend on other things,” said Superintendent Mark Denman. “It’s been very successful. Our district is ahead of the curve.”
The state award, announced through Gov. Pat Quinn’s office, was given to just 22 people. But there have been other accolades, too.

Just this week the high school hung its first-ever Energy Star award, given out by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to institutions with an energy efficiency rating of 75 out of 100. Only 470 buildings earned the award from more than 17,000 nationally.

In all, 11 of the district’s buildings have been similarly recognized by Energy Star, and Harrier said he has applied for the award for a second year and expects to win again at each building. He said there is already work being done to bring the two remaining buildings up to their energy-savings potential.
District-wide, before Harrier received Energy Education training, the energy rating was 49 on a 100-point scale. It is now at 82, which includes the two unfinished buildings.

Harrier, who sometimes walks vacant halls in the middle of the night to see if lights or equipment has been left on, said building maintenance is similar to maintaining a vehicle.

“There’s a lot of preventive maintenance,” he said, which includes checking filters and belts on the high school’s original boiler heating system and other equipment. “Change the oil in your car regularly and it will last forever.”
The boiler system, which was computerized years ago for 24-hour monitoring, is regulated to shut down during non-peak times, and saves 17 percent in energy costs. In addition, the school has added grant-funded lighting and Harrier regularly scours the power bill to ensure there are no mistakes (he said he once found a $17,000 discrepancy).

“He’s really stayed on top of it and he’s gone the extra mile,” said Ronald Henton, director of building and grounds. “He’s had a passion for it.”

Henton said the accolades have not gone unnoticed nationally, with District 118 held up as an example of quick energy-savings success at a recent national convention.

“He’s networked with people all over the country,” Henton said. “A lot of people know him.”

Denman said Harrier’s efforts have been bolstered by his sense of humor and friendly reminders to turn things off. He said at one point, Harrier left stick-it notes on the desk of anyone breaking the “turn-it-off-when-you-leave” rule.

“His interpersonal skills have made it work,” he said. “Sometimes on his (stick-it) notes he just writes ‘Oops!’ People really responded to that.”
Harrier said he has been amazed at the cooperation, with past offenders becoming more conscious about their energy use.

“This program wouldn’t work without my staff and everyone in the district cooperating,” he said. “It takes everybody.”