Services
- Grant Writing
- Energy Conservation + Awareness Program
- Hands-on Learning Project Management + Technical Mentorship
Results
- $1.2 million savings with high ROI
- Real-world skills application and sustainability training for high-school students, at no cost to school.
The West Chester Area School District hired PES to conduct a district-wide Energy Conservation + Awareness Program before making lighting upgrades and operational improvements to its HVAC systems.
After conducting a district-wide utility bill analysis, a consumption evaluation, and a trending assessment of electricity use at all 16 schools, we created a baseline for each school and conducted a comprehensive, tailored Energy Conservation + Awareness Program for all faculty, administrators, maintenance, operations and custodial personnel. Services also included Environmental Club student and educator support for all related in-school voluntary initiatives, including the now locally renowned student-led Power Down Friday campaign. PES provided monthly energy performance reports for each school and for the entire district, to motivate and engage administrators, teachers, students and facility personnel.
Thanks to the motivational PES program and active student and custodial involvement, the district cut electricity use 16.5%, saved $1.2 million, and avoided more than 10,000 tons of CO2-e emissions due to conservation alone.*
As a result of this success, the district received a $150,000 federal EPA Climate Showcase Communities grant to create the Henderson High School Student Conservation Corps (SCC). PES wrote the grant and managed the SCC through its 2-year program, during which time students performed energy assessments of 5 local businesses, presented their results to the business owners, and presented their experiences in numerous high-profile venues — including the U.N. World Information Transfer’s 21st International Conference on Health and Environment in New York City.
One student also received a $60,000 scholarship as a direct result of his participation in the SCC, and another self-published a book about the group’s experiences. PES services included grant writing, management of the SCC program, and technical/ communications mentorship for all SCC students. Thanks to the success of the SCC, PES wrote and received a second grant from PA-DEP to continue the SCC work for a third year and help the business owners implement the energy-saving projects identified in their assessments.
*Financial savings do not include rate changes. Actual savings are greater due to 2011 electricity rate reductions.