Vermont
Schools Gain Energy-Use Info
By Amy
Rubin
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An effort is underway to provide Vermont
schools with a new way of gauging the energy efficiency of their buildings.
Efficiency Vermont and the School Energy Management Program are working with
schools throughout the state to gather energy-usage information.
"It's called benchmarking,"
explains George Lawrence of Efficiency Vermont. "It's a great way for
schools to determine how their building is performing, compared to similar
schools in the state. That can be an eye-opener and a first step toward
lowering costs."
To date, the effort has collected data on
electricity and heating-fuel usage from 60 Vermont schools, at no cost to the
schools. The data is used to determine a number of statistics, such as energy
costs per square foot and per student. The information then enables schools to
see how their energy use compares to that of schools nationally and statewide.
This can help school officials evaluate their buildings' performance and to
determine the priority of improvements.
Results of the data collection run the gamut,
and can include some surprises for school officials.
"Whether it's a surprise that a building
is performing well or poorly, the information is very valuable," says
Lawrence. "Learning that your building is using more energy than you
assumed is good news, because you can't improve a situation that you don't know
about. In a case like this, we're available to help determine the cause of the
problem, recommend solutions, and work with a school to determine how to make
improvements affordable, whether through financial incentives or other
financial arrangements."
Conversely, according to Lawrence, the
discovery of a high-performing building presents an opportunity to learn the
reasons for low usage, which Efficiency Vermont can then share with other
schools.
All data is kept confidential; schools learn
their own results but aren’t given information that will reveal the names of
other participating schools. About 80% of funding for the effort is provided by
a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program. Efficiency
Vermont is providing the remaining funds.
Districts or schools that are interested in
taking advantage of this opportunity or in getting more information about
reducing energy use can contact Efficiency Vermont, toll-free, at 888-921-5990.
Rubin
is the Communications Project Manager for Efficiency Vermont.