News/Press

Ledger Sentinel                                                                                                      Consultant estimates savings in excess of $1 million by Roger Matile   When the Oswego School District Board agreed to contract with Texas-based Energy Education, Inc. back in 2004, they figured they had nothing to lose. After all, the company guaranteed a set level of savings on the district's energy use with the promise that if there were no savings, the district owed the company nothing. Now, 28 months after the contract was signed, the first major comparisons of district energy usage are in, and they show the district has saved more than $1 million in energy costs. According to the firm's web site, "Energy Education, Inc. develops and implements customized energy conservation programs that enable educational institutions and large churches to preserve energy dollars for educational opportunities and resources." The process involves networking the district's computerized heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and analyzing use based on proprietary software that constantly monitors energy use and provides ways it can be cut. According to Dan Kenyon, the district's Energy Education manager, "As the energy Program enters into its third year, the district staff and students have reduced the consumption of energy for a savings of $1,049,298 or 24 percent of the projected energy cost of $4,354,763." When company officials pitched their program back in 2004, they guaranteed the district would save $393,000 in energy costs over three years. But the company also projected they believed the district could save as much as $900,000 during that three year period. Kenyon noted that the district is far beyond the $393,000 Energy Education guaranteed and has, in fact, already topped the company's three year projections in just a little over two years. Kenyon began the process back in 2004 by conducting energy audits at each district building to ensure that students and teachers were comfortable during class time and scheduled activities, and that energy is only being used in the buildings as necessary. A key feature of the Energy Education program allows Kenyon to track district energy consumption including, electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil, using the firm's energy-accounting software. The software measures current energy use, and is able to calculate the amount of energy that would have been used if conservation and management practices had not been implemented. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, the software aids in identifying areas that require immediate attention. Kenyon told board members he will continue to track energy consumption, conduct energy audits of all facilities, and work to educate and motivate district personnel to use energy wisely, keep classrooms comfortable, take advantage of daylight, and practice other smart energy strategies to make sure they become matters of routine for all district building users. Kenyon receives updated training from Energy Education on a regular basis, he told board members. As new buildings are added to the district, they operate during a 'baseline year' to establish energy use before the Energy Education program kicks in during the second year. District has saved $1.125 million since 2004 Kenyon noted that the $1.049 million in savings was calculated through July. He said that since that time, the number has grown to $1.125 million in district-wide cost savings. Kenyon told board members that teamwork in the district, with everyone from students to administrators participating, has been the key to making sure the energy savings program has been a success. In fact, according to Energy Education officials, the Oswego School District has been a leader in energy savings. He said that if savings continue at their currently projected rate, the district will have saved nearly $7 million by March 2014. During Monday's school district board meeting, a company official presented the district with their Energy Excellence Award for being one of the leading energy savers in Illinois. The representative noted that the more than $1 million in savings meant the district has been able to use that money for other discretionary purposes. The award complimented the district for its "judicious stewardship of financial and natural resources." "What's nice is that you're not hearing a lot of folks saying you're saving all this money by turning the thermostat way down," school board president Dave Behrens commented. School superintendent Dr. David Behlow said most of the credit for the savings goes to school district staffers and students. "This didn't come by putting in a lot of fancy, expensive equipment," he told board members. "This is asking each one of us to monitor our energy usage. That's true conservation and that's true people power. Without power of the people—back to our mission statement—without this unique partnership we couldn't make this happen."