Conservation will help schools save money

MILLSTONE — Saving energy in the school district will help township taxpayers save money.

The Millstone Township School District administration and Board of Education have embarked on a comprehensive energy conservation and management program with Energy Education, a national company that develops energy conservation programs for public school districts to save on energy costs.

Millstone's program is beginning this December. The school district will hire an energy educator/manager who will receive intensive training from Energy Education to implement conservation procedures in all district facilities.

The energy educator/ manager will conduct energy audits to ensure that students and teachers are comfortable during class time and scheduled activities, and that energy is used only as necessary. The energy educator/manager will also be responsible for helping to motivate everyone in the district to use energy wisely by taking advantage of daylight and practicing other conservation strategies.

Superintendent of Schools Mary Anne Donahue said, "Our contract with Energy Education is just one pro-active measure the district is taking to conserve energy and save tax dollars."

She said the school district has been impressed with Energy Education's preliminary work and looks forward to a successful relationship.

"We anticipate saving the taxpayers close to a million dollars over the next 10 years as a result of this undertaking," Donahue said.

All costs of the Energy Education program will be paid for out of the school district's existing utility budget, with savings projected to more than pay for the program, according to Donahue. Additional savings can be redirected to other parts of the district's budget, she said.

According to Donahue, many districts have credited this program with helping keep personnel and maintain programs that otherwise would have fallen victim to budget cuts. In addition, Energy Education provides free support after the paid term of the contract, as long as the district continues to implement the program, so the district's energy savings continues.

The district energy educator/manager will track energy consumption and will monitor electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil using energy-accounting software. The software compares current energy use to a baseline period and calculates the amount of energy that would have been used if conservation and management practices had not been implemented. The software adjusts for weather, equipment additions or deletions, and changes in building use and helps the energy educator/ manager analyze energy use and correct areas that need immediate attention.

Energy Education has worked with more than 900 educational organizations across the nation impacting the educational environment of over 12 million children and helping clients save more than $1.5 billion in 23 years, according to the company literature.

For more information on Energy Education, visit www.energyeducation.com or call Jan Noel-Smith, director of public relations at 940-767-1500, ext. 137.