Executive Summary
Erie City School District Energy and Education (E2) Plan
Plan Summary and Participants
The purpose of this document is to propose a comprehensive, education- based energy conservation program for the Erie City School District. It will build upon past successes, involve many parties and utilize various tools and resources, including those available under the national Energy Star program. This plan was developed by the following individuals, who are also committed to its implementation:
- Doreen Petri, Science Teacher Northwest PA Collegiate Academy
- Guy McUmber , Sustainability Coordinator, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Tom Hall, Sustainability Intern, Mercyhurst College
- Hana Sorek, Green Team Member, Northwest PA Collegiate Academy
- Laura Hurst, Green Team Member, Northwest PA Collegiate Academy
- Sr. Pat Lupo, Director, Earth Action Erie
- Dr. Chris Magoc, Green Team Advisor, Mercyhurst College
- Ken Borland, Regional Coordinator , Pennsylvania STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Initiative
- Jenna Cramer, Green Schools Coordinator, Green Building Alliance
Energy Star Tools, Programs and Resources
Energy Star (ES) is a government-backed, voluntary program that helps organizations and individuals protect the environment through superior energy performance by providing energy efficient solutions for homes, businesses, and institutions. Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) is a benchmarking system that tracks the energy usage through the development of a building profile. At least three years of electrical and heating data and other parameters such as square footage, percentage of air conditioning, number of computers, and cooking facilities are entered on a secure website to give the building a rating between 1 and 100 compared to similar structures nationally. The Energy Star Challenge is a national call-to-action to improve the energy efficiency of America's commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more.
Erie City School District Success Stories
In January of 2007, the Advanced Placement Environmental Science class initiated an energy audit at Collegiate Academy. The audit benchmarked the school on Energy Star.gov and investigated wasteful lighting patterns. Students made recommendations to the faculty, staff, and student body to reduce electrical lighting and increase natural lighting. After one year, the school improved from a rating of 23 to 46 and saved $10,945 and more than 180,000 KWH when compared to the average of the three previous years of energy data.
Collegiate Academy's success in the energy audit provided the impetus for expansion of the program into other schools within the district. To do this the class formed an after-school Green Team in the fall of 2008. The main focus of the team in its year of inception was to assist students in CHAMPS, an after-school enrichment program, at Harding Elementary School in performing their school's own energy audit and subsequent conservation measures. The project at Harding was used to develop a model which could then be used for student-driven energy audits at other schools. The model, titled CTE: Conservation Through Education, has been conducted at Jefferson Elementary School (2009), Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School (2010), and Wilson Middle School (2011).
As a result of its conservation successes, the project has received several grants, including Youth Service America ($500), Erie Insurance Group ($1500), Wal-Mart ($1000 and 50 desk lamps and compact fluorescent bulbs), Department of Environmental Protection (light and wattage meters). Along with these, State Farm presented the Green Team with a $500 award for the Grand Prize State Farm Video Contest in December 2008. In January of 2009, the Erie City School District was awarded a $112,778 grant to install a 10.4 KW solar array (above) on the roof of Collegiate Academy. This project was completed on June 30, 2010.
Plan Rationale
This plan proposes to build upon the successes described above and develop a district-wide "Energy and Education" conservation program. The major reasons for proposing this plan are as follows:
- The immense opportunities to educate not only students, but also staff and the public, on a vital 21st century issue, in a hands-on, critical thinking manner;
- Proven success and results through the existing Conservation Through Education program;
- The plan's "no-cost first" approach is consistent with district budgetary considerations;
- Based on preliminary research, it is believed that at an least 10% cost reduction ($200,000) could be achieved with little to no ESD expense;
- The Pennsylvania Department of Education now requires the use of Energy Star Portfolio Manager and other tools in its PlanCon process and these are integral to this plan.
Preliminary ESD Energy Assessment
In developing this plan, it was felt necessary to conduct a preliminary analysis of district buildings in order to illustrate the potential for energy conservation. Primary analysis steps were as follows:
- Energy Star Portfolio Manager benchmarking of each ESD building;
- Assessing off hour, out door lighting and other usage patterns;
- Evaluating district energy policies
Preliminary Energy Assessment Findings
In summary, the assessment found that there is ample opportunity and reason for energy conservation in the district. This is believed based on the following primary findings:
- The District spends approximately $2 million annually on building energy, which equates 6,600 tons of carbon dioxide or the emissions of approximately 1,000 automobiles.
- The overall ESD Energy Star Rating is 54, which is an F in academic terms.
- 3 buildings have a rating of less than 10.
- There are many opportunities to reduce energy use simply through behavioral changes, ex, summertime and computer use.
- The district has no energy policies and therefore no method of controlling usage and behavior.
Plan Priorities
Based on the district potential for energy conservation, and the prior successes of the CTE program, this plan proposes that a comprehensive program be implemented based on the following priorities and guiding principles:
Environmental Stewardship
Climate change is a dire consequence of the irresponsibility and apathy of this and past generations. 56% of Pennsylvania's electricity is produced by coal-fired energy plants, which emit exorbitant amounts of greenhouse gases, namely carbon dioxide, and other pollutants. The Erie School District Energy and Education Plan provides energy reduction strategies and education about the harmful effects of wasteful behavioral patterns. The program extends its reaches beyond the school and into the community, which will inspire personal responsibility and individual action among students and family.
Behavioral Change
The District Energy Plan calls upon school board members, administrators, staff, teachers, and students to make a conscious effort to reduce energy usage which, in turn, will reduce costs to the district. The assessment of buildings and the development action plans by the Energy Team and Erie School District personnel is the first step. Communication, implementation, and compliance relating to the plan guidelines will follow. Monitoring on Energy Star Portfolio Manager will track progress.
Student Involvement
Students are involved in every facet of the CTE Project – Conservation Through Education. Elementary, middle, and high school students have an integral role in the planning and performance of the energy audits. It provides the students with a voice about the environmental issue addressed because those involved must collect, record, analyze, and present the data. Meaningful service is achieved through the transfer of knowledge, management and leadership skills necessary for independent research and the completion of project goals, all while instilling a sense of stewardship, action and appreciation for the environment. Success is readily achieved through quantitative documentation of progress. Students experience meaningful gratification as their influence becomes evident in the school, home, and surrounding community.
Educational Impact
Environmental education is highly interdisciplinary. Environmental literacy has a positive effect on achievement and encourages students' engagement in academics. Skills gained include problem solving, decision-making, inquiry, action planning, character development, higher-level thinking, and a better understanding of and ability to cope with complex issues. The CTE integrated program establishes relevance to a multitude of subjects taught in the Erie School District, including earth science, life science, physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, and basic math and graphing skills that comply with national and state standards.
Cost Effectiveness
The implementation of sustainable practices will reduce utility costs incurred by the Erie City School District with minimal costs to the district. After the initial return on investment is realized, additional funding opportunities become available. Even though the upgrade of infrastructure is valuable, these costs in equipment and labor are wasted when inefficient use is continued. Sustainable practices are not only economically efficient and environmentally-sensitive, they are conducive to the well being of all district employees, teachers, and students.
Plan Primary Components
- ESD accepts the Energy Star Challenge and set a 10% reduction target by April 2012
- All district buildings will be tracked and monitored using the ESPM software
- The district will develop policies to support the E2 plan
- Although the plan will strive for a no cost approach, approximately $15,000 funding will be necessary for the CTE component of the project, with necessary expenses broken down as follows
- Diagnostic Equipment (Meters and Thermal Sensors)—$5500
- Teacher training—$3000
- Science Coaches & Facilitators—$2000
- Teacher stipends—$2000
- Project Manager—$2500
External support for these expenses is being investigated and may eventually offset a considerable percentage.
- Plan implementation will be overseen by separate Energy and Education committees
- A specific energy and education action plan will be developed for each building by the committees and conveyed to all affected parties
- The district should assess plan results in April 2012
ESD Board Support and Approval
An integral part of the proposed success will be ESD board approval and support. At a minimum, the following board approvals are believed necessary to ensure program success:
- Energy Star Challenge
- CTE—Conservation Through Education Program
- Energy Star Certification for high performing schools
- Energy Policy Statement (April) and advanced polices (August)
- Energy and Energy Education Committees
- Intra-district competition (August)
Plan Action Steps (2011-2012)
The following is an outline of the main activities necessary to implement the plan over the coming year.
- April: District Energy Plan Resolution submitted for approval by Erie City School District School Board.
- May–July: Initial Energy and Education Committee meetings
- August: Presentation of 2011–2012 Energy and Education Plan to ESD board. Internal education program for district staff, initiation of CTE program.
- September: Implementation of district policies and building specific energy reduction strategies. Initiation of Intra-district competition.
- October: Student energy audits begin.
- December: Students present building-specific data analysis and recommendations to faculty, staff, and student body.
- January: Implementation of Conservation Through Education team recommendations in each building. Development of public outreach strategy.
- February: Mid-project assessment, based on Energy Star Portfolio Manager
- April: End-of-project assessment. Committees' Project Report to ESD Board, to include intra-district competition awards ceremony.
Conclusion
The plan development team believes that this plan will be a "win-win" for the district for many reasons, such as the following:
- Student, staff and community education
- Cost and resource reduction, based on infrastructure analysis and behavior modification
- Positive public relations, through being proactive and community leadership
The team sincerely appreciates the board's consideration of this plan and respectfully requests board approval.
You can download a Word document of the E2 Plan.
You can also download a Word document of the Energy Plan Policy Statement Proposal.