The Bellingham School District saved approximately $179,720 during the 2008-09 school year by implementing a Resource Conservation Program to reduce its use of electricity, natural gas, water and production of waste, according to a report shared with the School Board during the Oct. 8 meeting.
The program focuses on reducing energy costs by attempting to limit the district’s energy consumption to minimize operating costs and promote environmental stewardship.
To view the district's 2008-09 Resource Conservation Program Annual Report, which includes energy use expectations for staff, please click here.
Energy is the district’s second largest single expense behind salaries and benefits, says Brett Greenwood, the district's business and finance manager. Currently, the district spends more than $2.6 million for water, sewer, garbage, electricity and natural gas in more than 25 buildings annually.
“We are all working hard to reduce the energy we are using,” Greenwood says. "Not only is it the right thing to do for the environment, but reducing our energy costs becomes essential in these tough economic times."
The district is currently working on a variety of ways to reduce energy consumption, including tuning boilers, using less water, turning off lights and using one less light bulb in a fixture, and educating staff and students about energy usage.
Seven new tankless water heaters have recently been installed in three schools. The $2,292 rebate the district received from Cascade Natural Gas helped offset the project’s costs. The projected energy savings are calculated at $1,553.75 a year. The rebate, combined with the energy savings, will pay for the tanks in approximately six years.
“District staff and contractors have also replaced HVAC control systems at Silver Beach Elementary School and Fairhaven Middle School, all of the unitvents at Sunnyland and Birchwood elementary schools, and installed new variable speed drives on the circulation pumps at Squalicum High School. Those steps are showing significant savings already,” says Mike Anderson, facilities manager for the Bellingham School District.
The district is also continuing to implement the Food to Flowers program in its schools in partnership with Sanitary Service Company, through which students have successfully recycled more than a million pounds of food-related waste. The district’s food services program was highlighted in the recent national Food Service Director Magazine's "Reducing the Waste Stream" article for the innovative composting program. The article outlines the evolution of the composting program and its overall cost-saving measures.
District Receives Stimulus Money for Energy Efficient Kitchen
The district’s food service program received a $7,768 grant award for a new dishwasher at Birchwood Elementary School this summer through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
On a national level, ARRA provided a one-time federal appropriation for equipment assistance to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
Washington state received $1.5 million as part of the ARRA. Priority was given to schools that have 50 percent or greater students who qualify for free and reduced meals. The new equipment helps improve the overall energy efficiency of the school’s food service operations.
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