News/Press

Bristow Record Citizen
December 19, 2008

Bristow’s Energy Manager Cuts Usage by 33 Percent Annually

No one knows where the energy guy will strike next. He stalks the school hallways late at night on the look-out for anything that may be sucking precious energy out of the Bristow Public Schools district. He leaves notes for teachers and employees to remind them to turn off their computers and printers. And, he drops off thank you cards when they remember to unplug at the end of the day.

The mystery energy manager is Alan Dowdy, Bristow Public Schools Energy Education Specialist.

At the December Bristow Board of Education meeting, Dowdy reported that combined efforts of conscientious energy conservation habits throughout the district had saved the district $122,546.50 over the last year.

“This is excellent news,” said one board member, “especially since the state cut our funding by about that same amount this year.”

The Bristow Board of Education entered into contract with Energy Education, a Texas-based company, in 2007 and agreed to hire a part-time energy manager. Dowdy serves as a Bristow Public Schools maintenance employee overseeing the HVAC systems and coordinating resolution of electrical issues. His energy management services begin once everyone else has gone home.

And his work has paid off — literally. During a time of increasing utility costs, these savings are especially helpful.

Edison Elementary experienced the greatest savings by decreasing their usage by almost 40 percent. A portion of this savings can be attributed to Dowdy’s recommendation that the district move the Title 1 summer school in July from Edison to Collins Elementary. Edison has an old and less efficient chiller system. This kind of system cools all of the building even when only a portion of the rooms are being used. Collins Elementary has a more efficient geo-thermal unit, and it has the capability to compartmentalize. This allows the school to cool only those rooms being used. during the summer. Overall, the district saved 33.71 percent, an amount far above the average for most schools in their first year of an energy savings endeavor.

“This is truly a team effort,” said Dowdy. “I couldn’t do this without all of the principals and teachers working with me.”

These savings benefit not only the school, but they also help the environment. The savings for one year are equal to 2,455 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions being prevented, 441 automobiles being removed from the highways annually, or 62,803 tree seedlings planted and grown for 10 years.