K-12 Schools Sustainability Strategy Collaborative Update
With the approval this past month of Santee School District’s $1.3 million Energy Expenditure Plan, the San Diego K-12 Schools Sustainability Strategy Collaborative continues to lead the state with 28 Energy Expenditure Plans approved for a total of $16.6 million. When fully implemented, these projects will reduce energy usage by 8.6 million kWh, reduce demand by 2.3 MW, and save $1.7 million annually while creating 94 job-years of project work.
During a temporary lull in the filing of Energy Expenditure Plans while most School Districts are waiting for the new provisions of the revised guidelines to take effect, Sweetwater Union High School District is one of three school districts selected to support the California Energy Commission in external “beta testing” of the new Online EEP Application System, which is targeted for release at the end of February.
At our January monthly meeting, Santee School District shared an overview of their recently completed pilot evaluation of a new agent-less software solution for networked plug load management being offered by Cleantech San Diego member company Cisco Systems. The system was able to detect desktop PCs, laptops, and monitors staying on during nights and weekends. Over this pilot period it is estimated that this new IT plug load management solution would have enabled a 51% energy reduction. After factoring in the SDG&E rebate of $15 per desktop computer, a five-year software package can payback in just 10 months and save approximately $150,000 in energy costs over the five-year period. With plug loads representing on average 25% of energy usage in buildings, this type of plug load software management solution may be of interest to other building owners and operators beyond just the K-12 schools segment.
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