Submitted by Sharyl Wood
Nassau County School District Press Release
October 10, 2014 11:00 a.m.
NASSAU COUNTY SCHOOLS administration and board members announced today that the system has saved more than $240,000 in the first 8 months of its energy conservation and management program. The successful cost-saving program is implemented through a partnership with Cenergistic, a leading behavioral and organizational behavior-based energy conservation company whose energy management program has saved more than $3.0 billion for educational and complex organizations.
In addition, the energy conservation program has also impacted our community with savings of 1.6 MILLION kWh in electricity, and 3 MILLION gallons of water. These savings are equal to 929 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions being prevented, or 194 autos off the highway annually or over 23,000 tree seedlings planted and grown in ten years.
Together with Cenergistic, Nassau County Schools has built a customized and sustainable energy conservation program that reduces consumption of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and water through changes in organizational and human behavior. Its proven approach is built on a proprietary methodology, which optimizes clients’ infrastructure, improves internal processes and changes behavior to ensure that savings endure. Cenergistic’s conservation experts are working closely with personnel to audit buildings for most efficient operation and to train personnel to control energy use wherever possible.
”I am gratified by the energy conservation success we have realized. Our partnership with Cenergistic has led to a dramatic change in how we view energy consumption. While we believed we were doing a pretty good job of saving energy before, this program has taken us to a new level,” said Superintendent Dr. John Ruis. “Our success is directly attributable to each and every member of our staff working as change agents, ensuring we use our resources responsibly. The cost we have avoided in just the first few months is a significant amount — it’s money we won’t have to cut from our budget.”
Joey Hearn serves as Energy Specialist for Nassau County Schools. He receives intensive training from Cenergistic energy consultants to implement energy conservation behavior and procedures throughout the system. He conducts energy audits to ensure that students and teachers are comfortable during class time and scheduled activities, and that energy is used only as necessary.
To verify the program’s effectiveness and measure its success, Hearn tracks energy consumption — including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil — using third-party energy-accounting software. The software compares current energy use to a baseline period and calculates the amount of energy that would have been used if conservation and management practices had not been implemented. It adjusts for weather, equipment additions or deletions, and changes in building use. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, the software helps the organization and Cenergistic quickly identify and correct energy consumption that needs to be addressed.
All costs of the Cenergistic program come from the existing utility budget, with savings guaranteed to more than pay for the program. Additional savings can be redirected to other parts of the budget. Many organizations have credited this program with helping keep personnel and maintain programs that otherwise would have fallen victim to budget cuts. In addition, the conservation program is sustainable indefinitely. Cenergistic provides free support after the paid term of the contract, as long as the organization continues to implement the program. This provides the School District the opportunity to save energy and avoid costs for many years past the life of the contract with Cenergistic.