VVSD: Energy Plan Providing Cash Savings For Budget

Editor's Note: The following is a release from the Valley View School District.

A new report shows is beginning to reap significant financial benefits from its Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Management Initiative. This initiative has been put in place within the past few years.

According to Energy and Management Consultants Kenneth J. Kogut & Associates, VVSD has reduced its electricity usage by more than 3 million kilowatts in just four years which, at 10 cents per kilowatt, translates into a savings of roughly $300,000.

“This is a very substantial cash savings for our budget,” said Mike Lopez, VVSD’s director of facility operations. “While the cost of utilities continues to go up, we’re still seeing a decrease in our energy consumption because of the things we’re doing.”

Lopez cited several key components of the VVSD energy savings plan as being responsible for the consumption decrease, including the installation of “variable frequency drives” in every chiller, air handling unit, fan and pump to reduce the cycling of motors, which in turn saves electricity.

In addition, he said, VVSD has been a leader among Chicago area school districts in efforts to improve lighting efficiency by installing timers on all lights, replacing less energy-efficient fixtures with fluorescent and LED lighting and  replacing old 32-watt fluorescent light fixtures with 25-watt lamps. Upcoming initiatives include installing motion sensors in public spaces and synchronizing HVAC systems with lighting during after-school facility usage.

“We’re looking at LED lights because that offers higher efficiency when compared to other lamp options,” Lopez said, pointing out that some LEDs have already been installed in one hallway at and in the auditorium. “Those fixtures will last anywhere from 7 to 10 years. And they’re instant-on as opposed to the delayed start for metal halides.”

Efficiencies in natural gas usage are also saving the district money, according to the report, with costs decreasing by $68,000 in 2010 even as the cost of gas rose from 31 cents to 56 cents per therm.

“The bottom line is we’re spending $1.07 per square foot today on energy compared with $1.13 per square foot 17 years ago,” Lopez said. “All of our efforts are pointing toward being more efficient. We are making sound decisions and investments in the implementation of our energy strategies.”