District recognized for superior energy efficiency

October 3, 2012

In recognition of the district’s “superior energy performance,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored Schuylerville Central School District as an “Energy Star.”

Receiving the 2012 Energy Star certification means the district performs in the top 25 percent of organizations/businesses with similar facilities nationwide and that Schuylerville meets strict energy efficiency levels set by the EPA. Energy Star certified buildings typically use 35 percent less energy than average buildings and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“We’re very excited about the Energy Star certification. We’ve been working hard in all of our buildings to find every possible way to conserve energy,” said Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Peter Riggi. “The last phase of our construction project is focused on projects related to energy conservation, so savings will be multiplied in the future.”

Schuylerville improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across the entire campus, including the following initiatives:

Improved scheduling of building usage outside of the regular school day;

Constant monitoring of temperatures and HVAC systems and ensuring boilers are working at maximum efficiency;

More efficient use of air conditioning;

Installation of occupancy detectors, so lights automatically turn off when a room is not in use.

Riggi also credits Schuylerville’s Green Ribbon School Team for helping the district earn this designation. “Members of the Green Ribbon School have provided many additional energy-saving ideas and have made the campus a much more environmentally friendly place to be,” he commented.

EPA’s Energy Star energy performance scale helps organizations assess how effectively their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. The program was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Over the past 20 years, American families and businesses have saved a total of nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from Energy Star.