There’s a few different ways to measure the decrease in Rochester Public Schools’ energy consumption over the last two years: There’s the percentage by which it dropped. There’s the amount of money the district saved.
Or it can be compared to the number of miles an average vehicle would have to travel to produce the same amount of carbon emissions. That number is positively eye-catching:
17 million miles.
Rochester Public Schools is 26 months into an agreement with the company Cenergistic, which is helping the district improve energy-efficiency in its facilities and operations. Adam Hanson, an energy specialist with Cenergistic, recently gave an update to RPS officials about the results of that agreement over the first 23 months of available data.
“Ultimately, we’re looking to save on utilities so that we can reinvest in what matters most, and that’s the education of our students,” Hanson said.
During that two-year time period, the district has saved $1.3 million in energy costs. That equates to a 15% reduction in energy use and a 16% cost reduction.
The program has been more successful than originally planned, with savings exceeding the forecasted amount by more than $11,000 during the first two years.
The amount of energy saved over the last two years is the “equivalent of eliminating Co2 emissions from 17,592,763 miles driven by an average automobile,” according to the district’s website.
To put that in context, the distance around the earth, as measured at the equator, is 24,901 miles, according to National Geographic. That means the school district has reduced its footprint by the amount of carbon that would be released from “an average automobile” if it were to drive around the world more than 700 times.
You can read the full story in the Post Bulletin.
You can read previous press on RPS’ energy program here.
About Rochester Public Schools
Rochester Public Schools mission is to inspire, challenge, and empower all students with the knowledge and skills required to reach their full potential, to contribute to future generations, and to become involved members of a global community. We seek to inspire our students to become lifelong learners.
About Cenergistic
Since 1986 Cenergistic has partnered with 1470+ educational, municipal government and healthcare organizations to achieve $5.8 billion in utility savings and cost avoidance. These strong results come from the application of Cenergistic’s organizational behavior-based strategies and are enhanced by our proprietary software platform to drive building and equipment optimization. Our energy conservation program reduces utility consumption by an average of 25% with no capital investment while maintaining or improving the comfort and quality of building environments. For more than a decade, Cenergistic has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year or Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence. To learn more, visit www.cener2staging.wpengine.com.
