BC News

District focuses on energy efficiency and costs, environmental stewardship
Release Date: Nov. 24, 2008

The Bethlehem Central School District is focusing on conserving energy and being good environmental stewards — efforts that also save taxpayers money.

They include major steps forward in energy efficiency district-wide as a result of the building project; a new “energy management” Web site designed to help share information and promote responsible practices; and joining a municipal purchasing consortium to make sure the district is making the most of every dollar it spends on energy.

“With school budgets being so tight and the planet in peril, it makes sense that energy efficiency and associated savings are an area where we would focus,” Superintendent Michael Tebbano said. “It is also important that we serve as role models for our children in these areas. I see these efforts as part of the beginning of a new era of energy and environmental consciousness at BC.”

At the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 19, district Energy Manager Paul O’Reilly announced that energy savings for the 2007-08 school year topped more than a quarter of a million dollars as a result of improved heating systems made possible by the building project. The savings, which totaled $271,126, are measured as “cost avoidance” — the additional amount that the district would have spent, under last year’s weather conditions, if no renovations had taken place.

The improved heating systems and more energy efficient buildings themselves mean the district can better control the temperature and better control the areas where the heating system is used, according to Mr. O’Reilly. For example, district schools used 25 percent less energy in January 2008 compared with the prior January, while both months had the same average daily mean temperature.

“In terms of energy, the benefits of the new heating systems and renovated buildings are pretty clear,” Mr. O’Reilly said. “The district is using less energy, the buildings are better at retaining the heat and it is costing taxpayers less.”

The district is also announcing the launch of a new “Energy Management” portion of its Web site.

BC’s Energy Management site, which can be found at http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/energymanagement/, features information about a variety of district initiatives designed to reduce the use of energy and take care of the environment; links to Web sites devoted to energy efficiency and “green” practices; and invites students, staff and community members to become “energy watchdogs” by contacting the energy manager with questions and suggestions.

Among the energy management news and initiatives detailed on the new site are recycling efforts coordinated by Middle School and High School teachers and students, information about the temperature set points in school buildings, and suggestions from the energy manager about saving paper and shutting down computers.

Finally, the Board of Education voted on Wednesday night to join an energy purchasing consortium coordinated by the Onondaga–Cortland-Madison BOCES.

Its participation in the consortium means that the district will be able to “lock-in” competitive energy costs for the long-term, enhancing stability to its planning for energy costs. In addition, consortium members undergo a thorough review of their energy costs for recent years, ensuring that participating districts spend only what they must on energy.

Applications and eligibility requirements for the free and reduced-price lunch program are sent home with students during the first week of school. Families that qualify and wish to apply must provide all the information requested; incomplete applications cannot be processed.

Please call Kathy Haege in Bethlehem Central's Business Office, 439-7481, for details or a copy of the eligibility requirements and an application.

 

 

 

 

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