N.B. school district finds the energy to reduce utility costs

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township school district has felt the heat of rising energy costs but has cooled off its expenses by instituting an energy audit plan.

From October 2008 to June 2009, the district has already saved $329,353, or about 16 percent of the energy budget, by coordinating usage of facilities, monitoring operational efficiency of equipment, analyzing consumption, auditing utility bills and meters for errors or overcharges, investigating rebate and grant programs, and using Web-based tools and diagnostic loggers to track waste.

Ray Kuehner, the energy education specialist for the district, said, "It's been interesting and a learning experience … and a lot of positive things have come out of this, from what I can see so far."

Kuehner said he himself does daily or weekly audits of buildings, varying from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., depending on when the buildings are empty. One example of a cost-savings find was a meter at the board office that had been disconnected for two years but was still being charged $10 per month.

In order to track the savings, the district is using EnergyCAP, an independent third-party software product in compliance with the U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol. Kuehner maintains and stores all of the information.

The evaluations are based on consumption comparisons between the base period and the current billing cycle meter by meter. Taken into account are changes in weather, building square footage and portable buildings, added or removed mechanical systems,

new technology and the length of billing cycles from month to month.

Thus far, the software has shown a 4.3 percent decrease in electricity (about 533,000 kilowatt hours for a savings of $186,000), a 13.5 percent decrease in natural gas (about 29,000 kilowatt hours for a savings of $126,000), and a 3.9 increase in water unit

costs (usage was reduced by 31 percent, but the district used more per unit).

Kuehner called the water increase "very insignificant" because it does not have a drastic impact. He also said the program started in October at the beginning of the heating season, so there was a higher use as the district got accustomed to the program, but it was still less than in previous years.

"Looking back, we started out very slow and … at the start of the heating season. Had we started earlier and been set up before the beginning of the heating season, I think the savings could have been a little [greater]," he said.

The energy manager also said he expects savings to increase because of a recent energy consortium that has afforded the district lower energy rates and because there is only an estimated natural gas bill at Judd Elementary School as a result of a changeover to a new supply company, which could bring in an additional $12,000 in savings.

The savings for July 2009 alone is projected to be at least $40,000, he said.

In terms of the environmental benefits, North Brunswick public schools have saved 533,082 kilowatts of electricity, which is equivalent to saving 1,115 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, or 200 automobiles being removed annually from highways, or planting and growing 28,511 tree seedlings for 10 years.

Kuehner said the program's future goals are the deeper involvement of main office personnel and building administration, having a stronger focus on lowering the demand usage, heightening awareness of the district's energy policy and introducing the "Green Quest" website for district employees to use to evaluate their own homes.

He thanked the custodial and maintenance staff, the principals and their staff, teachers, and Donna Daley from the county for their participation in the program.

"I think this is a good program, and I think we will see the benefits well into the future," Kuehner said.

The energy-auditing process began last year when the district signed a contract with Energy Education, a management specialty company based in Texas. The company focuses on the behavioral aspects of energy education and evaluates existing equipment within the district's facilities, such as monitoring timers and reducing the time food cookers are heated.

There was no capital investment because new equipment is not required, but the fee is $20,700 per month to the company for the first four years, which includes almost weekly visits by energy experts, an individual plan for every facility, and the implementation of an energy educator manager.

The software was purchased from a third-party vendor, Good Steward Software in Pennsylvania. There was a purchase fee of $12,000 and an annual fee of $1,200; the first year includes the annual fee.

Energy Education representative Michael Bitar told the Board of Education at a public meeting last year that as long as the district continues the energy manager position, continues to send data and agrees to not have scheduled visits, "there will never be a fee after four years." He also guaranteed that "if you don't save what you invest over 12 months, we write you a check for the difference," stating that not once has the company needed to do that.

Bitar had said this is a simple solution because energy is the second-highest expenditure outside of personnel salaries and benefits, and because the payment to Energy Education is not "new dollars" but instead money already being given to utility companies.

On a related note, the district also entered into a school supply consortium with more than 100 other school districts, and has saved $189,000. Between the eightmonth energy review and the supply consortium, the district has saved over a half-million dollars.

Contact Jennifer Amato at

jamato@gmnews.com.