Carson City School District Announces Additional Plans to Cut Energy Expenditures

Nevada’s most energy-efficient school district continues to wring savings out of schools

Carson City, Nev. (Nov. 20, 2017) — Carson City School District becomes the latest participant in an energy-awareness and savings program called powerED. McKinstry, an energy and facility services expert, will administer the three-year educational-focused program.

The powerED program engages students, staff and faculty across the district in energy, water and waste conservation efforts. The program promotes energy efficiency and how to eliminate waste within facilities, ultimately helping the district save money. Much of this effort is focused on demonstrating to students and faculty how small changes—such as turning off lights, biking to school, recycling and composting, shutting off unused electronics and buying locally produced items—can make a difference in their lives every day.

“McKinstry is excited about our partnership with the Carson City School District, said McKinstry CEO Dean Allen. “We’re deeply committed to improving the learning environments of our schools. Our goal is to work with our partners through powerED to educate their building occupants about the importance of energy efficiency and associated environmental impacts in order to affect behavioral changes that save energy and money.”

According to a U.S. Department of Energy report, money spent on fueling a school exceeds the money spent on salaries, supplies and books. Annually, schools spend in excess of $6 billion on energy alone, a cost that could be cut by 25 percent with better energy-saving initiatives. Funding for the Carson City School District project will come from the current Energy Performance Contract.

Energy and utility costs generally account for 20 to 40 percent of a school’s maintenance and operations budget, and can be much higher if equipment is beyond its useful life. According to a recent U.S. Green Building Council report, factors like thermal comfort and classroom lighting “affect the stress levels, health and well-being of occupants in schools,” and can influence student achievement.

In May of 2016, the district hired McKinstry to audit all the district’s facilities in search of additional energy savings. This audit, paid for by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE) Performance Contract Audit Assistance Program, identified dozens of potential improvements that would save utility and operational costs.

According to the Nevada Department of Education 387.303 statewide annual financial report for fiscal year 2014-2015 (the most recent and available report), Carson City School District had the lowest energy expenditures, on a per pupil basis, of all Nevada school districts.

About powerED

McKinstry’s powerED is a systematic behavioral and awareness program that encourages staff and students to learn about energy efficiency measures and how behavioral changes can lower utility costs, save energy, decrease carbon emissions and create a healthier environment. The communication campaign within the powerED program, named People.Power.Planet, uses a website to help staff and students commit to, learn about, engage with and compete to reduce energy consumption within their schools. For more information, visit peoplepowerplanet.com.

About McKinstry

McKinstry is a full-service, design-build-operate-and-maintain firm specializing in consulting, construction, energy and facility services. Our innovative, integrated delivery methodology provides clients with a single point of accountability that drives waste, cost, time and redundancy out of the design/build process. We employ over 1,800 professional staff and trades-people throughout the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, West, Midwest, and Southwest regions of the United States with operations in more than 15 states.

McKinstry advocates collaborative and sustainable solutions designed to ensure occupant comfort, improve systems efficiency, reduce facility operational costs and ultimately optimize profitability “for the life of your building.”

About CCSD

Located in Nevada’s capital, CCSD offers public education to approximately 7,600 students in Carson City. The district includes 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 alternative high school and 1 comprehensive high school. CCSD boasts many successes including impressive graduation rates, strict safety measures, programs for gifted students and advanced-placement classes, among several others. In a joint venture with Western Nevada College, the CCSD Jump Start College program allows students to complete their senior year of high school and freshman year of college simultaneously. For more information, visit carsoncityschools.com.

Explore Other News

Share: