Upgrades Enable School District to Save More Than $160,000
Schools Improve HVAC and Lighting, and Raise Their Energy Star Ratings
ERIE, Pa. — The Fort LeBoeuf School District in northwest Pennsylvania is saving more than $160,000 annually after completing a multi-phase facility enhancement program. InsideIQ™ Building Automation Alliance member SmartEdge completed HVAC, controls, and other upgrades designed to lower utility costs and resolve infrastructure problems at district buildings as well as raise the Energy Star ratings for each of the district’s schools.
The first phase of the facility enhancement plan, implemented at a cost of $1.3 million, focused on four of the district’s five school buildings. SmartEdge completed upgrades to interior and exterior lighting, installed new HVAC system controls, optimized boiler plant operations, retro-commissioned major HVAC equipment, rebalanced air flows, and installed a new high-efficiency chiller. As a result, the district is saving $129,000 in utility and operating costs annually.
The second phase of SmartEdge’s plan focused strictly on the Robison Elementary facility and aimed not only at improving energy efficiency but also at upgrading life safety and security systems. The $3.3 million program of facility enhancements included upgrades to interior and exterior lighting, installation of a new HVAC system and associated direct digital controls (DDC), installation of new windows, upgrades to fire and security systems, and installation of a new district-wide telephone system. Annual utility and operating savings from this project are $34,000.
All of the Fort LeBoeuf Schools have improved their Energy Star ratings as a result of these projects. Administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Energy Star program provides a standardized method of benchmarking similar buildings. The high school’s EnergyStar rating improved to 72 from 21, the middle school to 84 from 54, one elementary school rose from 36 to 81, the other went from 12 to 84, and Robison Elementary increased its Energy Star rating from 84 to 99.
The InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance is an organization of independent commercial building automation companies representing common automation and security system platforms. For more information, visit www.insideiq.org.
Publication date: 8/4/2014
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