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West Aurora outlines energy savings, plans more solar and electric buses
Summary
District staff and an outside consultant told the board the district has reduced energy costs through layered supply contracts, geothermal and on-site solar, and proposed community solar and electric-bus strategies while warning of rising grid capacity charges.
The West Aurora School District 129 Board of Education heard a detailed energy update on April 7 outlining recent savings from supply contracts, geothermal systems and on-site solar, and plans to expand community solar subscriptions and electrify buses.
District leaders said the combination of supplier contracting, efficiency projects and solar has produced measurable savings while the wholesale electricity market faces renewed volatility and a large, near-term capacity charge increase from the utility.
Becky Thompson, a third-party energy consultant working with the district, described the district’s supply approach as a layered purchasing strategy that limits exposure to market swings. "We are actually able to recently secure a product that was 36% lower than the previous contracted rate, through a term of 2029," Thompson said, and she estimated the district has avoided more than $300,000 in natural-gas costs since starting the program.
Thompson said layered purchases and a reverse-auction supplier…
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