by Eric Oslund
Reporter
The Elk River Area School Board has approved a new energy policy, but it’s only part of a puzzle swirling around in Greg Hein’s head.
The executive director of business services for the Elk River Area School District has always had a passion for energy conservation, and set his mind to making changes upon his arrival 3 1/2 years ago. The policy includes a variety of changes that went into effect across the district upon its Oct. 10 approval. Hein views the document as just the cornerstone of a much broader plan.
The school district has an annual energy bill of about $2.8 million and Hein is hopeful that they can get that number down by 20 percent. That would create savings of over half a million dollars and the plan would then be to reinvest that into the classrooms and education for the kids.
The new policy is what is going to lead the way for this reduced energy cost, Hein said, because it focuses on the responsibilities of everyone when it comes to energy.
“We tried to make it more clear who’s responsible for what and what roles individuals play and different positions play in the management of energy,” Hein said. “It’s kind of a cornerstone of a much broader energy strategy that we’re taking, that we’re hitting on multiple fronts.”
The hope is to get kids, parents and teachers personally invested in saving energy, to help show them where energy might be wasted from personal habits and things they can do differently to help out – things as simple as turning off lights and equipment.
There is also an operational side to this new policy where they are working with the building operators to fine-tune the systems and schedules that are already in place. That way they can utilize the lighting systems they have, as well as the heating and cooling systems.
But not all systems that are in place are running at 100 percent. There are also some that could be replaced to help the district in the long run. So there was a mechanical study put in place to help out with identifying the different problems.
“We also have had the district energy study completed that identifies areas that we could make mechanical improvements, or capital investments that will repair systems that may not be functioning at 100 percent,” Hein said. “Get them tuned up, basically, make sure they’re functioning properly. All of that new construction that we’ve got going on, as required by law, you have to commission those facilities and test all of the systems to make sure they’re functioning as designed. But we’re also recommissioning all the existing buildings we’re adding on to, so that the whole systems are all properly operating and operating as most efficient and effectively as they can.”
Now, the 20 percent savings goal is not something they are going to reach overnight; rather it’s a process. Hein is hopeful that all the initiatives will be completed by the 2018-19 school year and he’s hoping to see continued improvement up to that point.
There has already been a gradual improvement since they started keeping track, and that is an encouraging sign, he said.
“We used a baseline of calendar 2015, and through 2016 — through August, which is the last month we have a complete set of utility bills — we have achieved a level of about 5 percent,” he explained.
“It’s gradual because there’s a lot of work and a lot of different things that have to happen to move the ball forward on a lot of these initiatives. But it’s well underway, it’s working and we hope it’ll continue to progress from our current level of 5 percent up to the total goal of 20 over the next year and a half.”
Things are not going to stop the moment they reach that 20 percent mark, though. The school district is going to continue to look for ways to help improve, and new ways will keep becoming possible as technology continues to advance. One example Hein gave was lighting. Everything used to be incandescent bulbs, but now it’s all switching to LED bulbs, which are more efficient.
“That’s relatively new technology,” he said. “So things like that continue to evolve and we’re constantly monitoring what’s going on in the energy market to try and take advantage of those.”