Nearly every day, a newspaper somewhere in the country is carrying a story about the success of our clients’ energy conservation programs. Below are just a few examples of the great work they are doing, and the privilege it is to serve them in such tangible, noteworthy ways.
Record Journal May 14, 2008
Ferndale schools saving thousands in energy bills Monthly savings from education program
by Christopher Huber Record-Journal education reporter
Amid recent staff cut approvals and uncertain financial times throughout the Washington state K-12 education system, the Ferndale School District is saving money on their monthly energy bills.
The Energy Education Program, adopted last September by the Ferndale School Board to help address increasing energy costs and budget constraints, saved the Ferndale School District more than $51,000 from January through March.
Each month brought an increased percentage of savings, the goal being between 20 and 30 percent cut from the total energy bill, said Tony Torretta, FSD energy educator/manager and FHS agriculture science teacher.
The FSD is setting its sights on saving approximately $250,000 in 2009, and is slated to save $198,000 in the program’s first year, said Jan Noel-Smith, Energy Education, Inc., director of public relations.
Torretta was hired in November to work with the Wichita Falls, Texas-based EEI to head the district’s efforts to cut costs from the nearly $1 million annual energy budget. The FSD has saved up to $10,000 per week since January.
“A lot of people are figuring out that this is an unbelievable opportunity for savings,” Torretta said.
The keys to the program working are accountability, education and management on a school-to-school basis, Torretta said. EEI trained him and others to help the district stringently account for district-wide energy use.
Torretta, then, was charged with meeting with teachers and administrators at each school to educate them on strategies and techniques for conserving energy at each district facility.
“We are looking for opportunities to save money and use techniques and strategies that will ultimately benefit our school district and, even better, our students,” Torretta said.
To manage their energy consumption, staff develop their “energy ethic” while still taking into account the three “S’s” -- students, security and safety, Torretta said. The program does not force students and staff to sacrifice comfort -- they simply do not pump power into rooms when unoccupied.
For example, teachers turn lights off more often when no one is using the room and use natural light in classrooms on nice days. Also, maintenance workers only light the areas they need while working. During shut-down periods of spring break and long weekends, the schools make sure to literally shut down everything possible, Torretta said.
“The program really relies heavily on people,” he said. “Most of our savings can come through people choice changes.”
EEI helps implement comprehensive people-driven energy conservation programs for K-12 school districts, universities, community colleges and large churches, according to the company’s Web site. In 21 years its programs have helped approximately 870 organizations from 47 states save $1.5 billion collectively on energy bills.
“Buildings don’t use energy,” Noel-Smith said. “People use energy, so they are training people to use what they need but never waste it.”
Former Wichita Falls school board member Dr. William S. Spears started the company after spending two years researching the dynamics of people-based energy consumption.
The results from the radical new energy-reducing practices in his district received such positive feedback that the program was recognized at the state and national level.
The program’s popularity and effectiveness comes from school districts not having to invest in equipment or add money to their energy budget. The FSD’s success hinges on the “energy ethic” of the staff involved and has no financial risk.
FSD is one of only a handful of districts in Washington that have already implemented energy conservation programs through EEI.
Ferndale hopes to be as successful as the Walla Walla School District, which saved $1 million in seven years.
“I think it finally hit me when I saw the need to save that cost,” Torretta said. “It’s amazing what we’re accomplishing now. The staff is seeing this as an opportunity to save money.”
Both Torretta and Noel-Smith said the district’s goal of knocking $250,000 out of energy expenditures is realistic. At the rate the schools are conserving energy — currently around 18 percent less per month than this time last year — the goal is within reach.
“It amazes me that almost every month we have increased on percentage of savings,” he said. “The company (representatives), every time they come out, are so excited to see our savings. All the hard work that we’ve done is beginning to pay off and it couldn’t come at a better time."