Deer Park: Energy efficient plan pays off

An energy efficiency plan begun in the spring has saved the Deer Park school district hundreds of thousand dollars already, thanks partly to facility upgrades made over the summer throughout the district, district officials said.

Deer Park administrators and the board of education partnered with leaders in the environmental technology solutions industry to develop a multiphase energy efficiency plan. So far the district has earned $331,000 in energy rebates with future savings to come from additional rebates and reduced energy bills, district officials said.

"It has always been our goal to execute a comprehensive energy plan that would benefit our residents and the world," Keith Rooney, board of education member and chairman of the board's energy committee, said in a statement. "Through collaborative efforts we have accomplished this mission and have become a model for effective energy use in educational settings."

Some of the changes include boiler replacements and new piping at John F. Kennedy Intermediate and May Moore Elementary schools, as well as advanced boiler control systems at all schools. These units work together, along with cogeneration units, to regulate temperatures throughout the buildings and save on heating costs.

To reduce electricity costs, lighting fixture retrofits were installed in all schools, as well as light occupancy sensors in all high school classrooms to monitor activity in the rooms and shut off lights when they are not in use. In addition, every school was weatherized and Abraham Lincoln prekindergarten center received new windows throughout the building for increased climate control.

"The inception and ultimate utilization of these upgrades illustrates the district's dedication to improving our schools and students' educational experience," superintendent Eva Demyen said in a statement. "As a result of our work, the district is able to save taxpayers money and re-appropriate funds to instructional and academic programs."

Teams worked throughout the summer to complete the majority of the projects. Officials said all work will be finished by the end of the fall. Money that had been allocated in the district's general fund for facility upgrades was used to start the improvements.