OREANDA-NEWS. December 16, 2015.  And they’ll save more than \\$5.7M in energy and operating costs while they’re doing it!

In the past, Irwin County’s three schools have struggled with rising energy costs. A big part of this was caused by aging building systems, which included manual thermostats that still used mercury!

“Our power rates had jumped significantly over the last few years, and I knew we had to improve our energy management,” said Dr. Thad Clayton, superintendent of schools for Irwin County’s Board of Education.

The school system decided to make extensive energy and facility improvements to its aging HVAC, lighting, and controls systems through ABM’s Bundled Energy Solutions (BES) program. This financial solution drives cost out of their operating budget, allowing savings to be reallocated to fund mission critical facility needs. Through the program, Irwin County School System was able to upgrade its building systems without the need for cutting programs or increasing taxpayer burden to county residents. The project will generate more than \\$380,000 in general fund relief annually without any upfront costs.

The improvements are projected to create annual energy savings of 1.98 million kWh, reduce annual propane usage by almost 1,300 gallons, and cut annual potable water usage by over 600,000 gallons. The installation of all LED lighting across the school system alone will save in excess of 500,000 kWh of electricity annually.

This project also enables the school district to provide an HVAC system for the physical education facility of the Irwin County Middle and High School.