Update 10/21/13
The start of the new school year marked the first full year
of completion for the Dublin City Schools Energy Project. After working for over two years to make
energy improvements around the district and after watching the energy measures in
use, it is apparent that the district is both saving operational funds and
improving the learning environments for its students. Temperatures are more consistent throughout
the buildings and HVAC equipment is more reliable. If you have attended any number of events
held in one of the many gymnasiums, you probably have noticed the brighter
lights. The new lights not only provide
whiter, brighter light, but they reduce energy consumption by over half!
All of the energy projects have saved the district over
12,100 MWh of electricity and 450 MCF of natural gas, which equates to over
$1.7 Million in reduced building operating costs! The 2012-2013 school year alone saw a savings
of over 6, 350 MWh of electricity and 280 MCF of natural gas. This reduction in consumption provided a
savings of over $998,000! Dublin City
Schools is well on their way to meeting the project savings goal of $2.257
Million by the end of the 2016-2017 school year. At the current savings rate, it is
anticipated the goal will be reached before the conclusion of the current
school year!
Follow the link above to visit American Electric Power's case study on the success of the energy conservation project at Dublin City Schools. AEP Ohio writes, "With 20 school buildings, nearly 15,000 students and 1,800 teachers and staff to manage, the Dublin City School District rivals that of a university or small Ohio town in its electrical consumption." By implementing measures to conserve energy, Dublin City Schools has been able to get nearly $300,000 back into the district's budget through AEP incentives and rebates. Read the case study and discover the progress that Dublin City Schools has made on reducing, not only its carbon footprint, but also the district's operating costs.
Project Update 08/27/2012
The HB 264 team (Dublin City Schools,
Bruner Corporation, and EIG) has been hard at work over the summer
completing energy conservation projects throughout the district. The
construction phase of the project officially ends within the month, but the
savings will continue! In 5 years, Dublin City Schools is expected to
realize over $2.25 million in savings. From the start of the project in
March 2011 through June 2012, Dublin City Schools has already received over
$500,000 in savings! Here's an update on the projects completed over the
summer:
- A new high efficiency boiler was installed in the
Administration Building which will save on natural gas costs.
- The HVAC system in the media center at Indian
Run Elementary has been completely reworked and revamped. The
new design will more effectively and efficiently cool and heat the space
which previously had difficulty reaching desired temperatures.
- The 1919 Building received multiple
changes this summer including installing a new high efficiency boiler and replacing
all of its heat pumps. Replacing the heat pumps has already begun to
help the building operation by cutting down on the excess humidity within
the building.
- Additionally, across the district the HVAC
controls programming was reviewed and updated ensuring that the
buildings are operating in the best way possible. The upgrade
focused on improving comfort, reducing waste, and extending equipment
lifespan. The control systems now ensure that all equipment is
turned off when it is not needed.
Even though the entirety of the project is
scheduled to save Dublin City Schools over $2.25 million, there are additional
benefits that Dublin City Schools will also experience. Some of these
items include maintenance costs on items like light bulbs. Through the HB
264 project, long life light bulbs have been installed in various locations at
every school. The long life bulbs will allow for fewer bulb and ballast
replacements every year therefore saving on material and labor costs. Additionally,
the installation of new high efficiency boilers paired with the
optimization of the controls system will similarly save on maintenance
costs. Ideally, the new boilers will require less maintenance and will
have an extended operational life span.
Project Update 7/2/2012
Summer is officially here, and with it comes high
temperatures and high utility costs. In an effort to manage the utility
costs due to air conditioning, Dublin City Schools is actively managing when
and for how long each building is cooled. All maintenance schedules for
the summer are being tracked allowing for only the air handlers serving the spaces
being worked in to be turned on. Temperature set points have been
maximized for comfort as well as savings. When the buildings are
unoccupied the air conditioning equipment is only allowed to turn on if the
temperature in the building is becoming too high to properly cool the building
again when the air is next scheduled.
In addition, every building in the Dublin City Schools
district actively tracks the amount of power the building is consuming.
The power consumption is tracked and used to determine if the building is
operating properly and to ensure unnecessary equipment is being properly turned
off. Once the school year begins again, students will have access to this
data for educational purposes!
Project Update 10/25/2012
Have
you visited Indian Run Elementary School recently? Did you happen to
notice that the noisy unit ventilator heating and cooling units in all of the
classrooms have disappeared?
As
part of the HB 264 project all classroom heating and cooling units have been
replaced with a variable refrigerant flow system (VRF). This system is
unique in the fact that it allows heat to be redistributed within the
building. If one classroom is hot the system can remove the excess heat
and lower the temperature while moving the excess heat into another classroom
that is too cold. This ability to transfer heat between rooms
ensures that each space is almost always at the requested temperature.
Combining this with the fact that the units are extremely quite makes each room
a better learning environment.
VRF
systems require one condensing unit for multiple spaces. Every space has its
own evaporator and temperature controls. This allows for savings because
the smaller units can be run less frequently and the energy can be shared
between the rooms. Also the boilers can be reduced in size and used less
frequently. Plus, previously water was used as the heat transfer device
in an open system (meaning it was continually replaced). Now the system relies
on a fixed amount of total refrigerant rather than using water once before
sending it down the drain.
These
factors combine and lead to savings in electric, natural gas, and water
consumption. In fact, the bills for July 2011 - June 2012 compared to
July 2010 to June 2011 have seen the following reductions: electric, 7%; water,
52%; natural gas 56%! This was a total savings of over $33,000!
For
more information on VRF systems and how they work you can visit these
informative websites:
Project Update 01/04/2012
The second half of the school year is fast approaching and with it the project focus has shifted to commissioning and building controls. The process of commissioning will ensure that the building HVAC equipment is operating properly. Along with inspecting the system equipment , the building automation system, or HVAC controls, will also be reviewed and updated for optimum performance.
These processes allow Dublin City Schools to have ideal learning conditions for its students. They also ensure that no space is over-conditioned with too much heat in winter or too much cold in summer, therefore saving in operating costs.
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Project Update 10/17/2011
Dublin City Schools was recently awarded a check from AEP totaling over $90,500 due to the money that has been saved through the installation of more energy efficient lighting, HVAC equipment, and more. The installation of the energy efficient equipment is part of the district's $5.7 million energy conservation program being funded through an interest free loan. The energy conservation program will generate enough energy savings to repay the loan over the course of the next 15 years.
Project Update 9/7/2011
School is back in session and the first phase of the energy conservation project is complete! Now it is time to watch the energy savings come rolling in! Across the district the project should save over $400,000 per year! These savings are being monitored on a monthly basis to ensure Dublin City Schools receives the savings that were predicted. Watch this site for updates on how much the district has saved to date. The savings from the energy conservation project provide Dublin City Schools with the opportunity to spend less money on building operation and more on the education of its students.
Project Update 8/3/2011
The school year is about to begin!
As students, faculty and staff in the Dublin City School District return from
summer break, they will be met by a few changes to the school buildings.
Dublin City Schools and Bruner
Corporation have spent the summer months busily implementing energy
conservation projects throughout the district that will ultimately save the
district money in yearly operating costs. These projects will significantly
lower the district’s monthly energy bills, and other savings are being realized
by the district as they apply for rebates through AEP’s gridSMART program. The
rebate money is being awarded to the district for choosing to install higher
efficiency equipment and energy control devices. One of the eligible projects
includes retrofitting the high bay lighting in all gymnasiums and many of the
libraries to high efficiency T8 bulbs and ballasts. This change will not only
conserve energy, but it will also make the locations significantly brighter and
more pleasant. Occupation sensors have been installed in all gyms throughout
the district to ensure the lights are on when needed and off when the room is
unoccupied. These changes, along with other energy conservation acts, have
allowed the district to apply for $93,000 in rebates from AEP gridSMART.
Solar PV Array at Jerome High School Other
new additions to the district include the six solar hot water panels installed
on the roof of Jerome High School. A pump will run water from a large storage
tank to the roof and through the collectors allowing the water to gain heat as
it circulates through the collectors. The heated water will then be used to
meet much of the hot water demand by the school. Performance data from the
collectors will continuously be collected and used to understand how they are
working by both district staff and students. The panels will provide the
students at Jerome, and across the district, with hands-on learning about
renewable energy technology, math, science and engineering topics. Watch for
upcoming information about a ribbon cutting ceremony to be held at Jerome later
this fall.
Additional
energy conservation measures include replacing boilers at Scioto and Coffman
high schools, Grizzell middle school and Bailey and Scottish Corners elementary
schools. Water heaters at Sells and Davis middle schools and Bailey and Pinney
elementary schools were also replaced. Indian Run received a completely new
HVAC system. Every school has received vending machine controls that turn the
machines off when the building is unoccupied.
By the
start of classes on August 25th the district will be ready to
welcome students back to a place that uses less energy, therefore saving money,
while increasing student comfort and learning opportunities and making the
district a little greener!