The Hermiston School District recently did a cost analysis to evaluate energy efficiencies of its older schools in comparison to our new schools and other improvements that were made since 2011. The cost analysis revealed that while the district added 27,000 square feet to its existing facilities, the total district-wide utility savings over five years has been $846,075.39.
The total cost per square footage has been reduced by 20 percent. The cost savings puts the district in the top 20 percent of schools in cost per student and cost per square foot. The district’s goal is to move to the top 10 percent.
The savings are attributed to the following:
- Three older schools were replaced: Armand Larive, Sunset and West Park
- Dilapidated boilers were replaced which cut down on our heating expenses
- Encelium lightning management system
- Computer and communication management
- Solar panels at ALMS
Three of the older schools were replaced; Armand Larive, Sunset and West Park. Old HVAC systems that could only be manually controlled were replaced with news systems that are web based and provide immediate access for system management.
The district has 544 devices which are monitored and controlled by the building management system controller hardware and programming. These devices range from terminal units or thermostats, to air handlers, fan coils, domestic hot water heaters, boilers and chillers, pumps and frequency drives.
The variable frequency drives allow motors responsible for moving air or liquids to run at varying speeds. In the last year, the Hermiston School District made approximately 500 individual HVAC programming modifications to accommodate events in the schools outside the normal occupied building schedule. This scheduling strikes a pleasant balance in being fiscally responsible while ensuring the comfort of staff, students and patrons.
The Encelium lighting management system is a flexible and cost effective way to manage a lighting space. It is one of the only lighting systems that can gather data from a range of lighting components to tailor lighting usage with the changing requirements of the building. The Encelium system allows the district to maintain optimum lighting, use occupancy sensors, harvest natural light, and reduce lighting during non-use hours.
The computer and communication management system allowed the district to increase the amount of cameras and access control systems to improve safety and security in our schools, increased the amount of mobile devices, improved classroom technology, and centralized district technology.
