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District staff recommend free energy audits to shape next steps on efficiency, solar
Summary
District staff briefed the board on energy‑efficiency and solar options, recommended starting with free audits (Liberty Utilities, Mantis Innovation) for at least one building and then deciding whether to hire a paid consultant; board members generally supported beginning with no‑cost audits across buildings.
Salem School District staff on April 15 updated the school board on energy efficiency and solar opportunities and recommended beginning with free facility audits to identify cost‑effective measures before hiring a paid energy consultant.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Debbie Payne reviewed the district’s facility modernization timeline dating to a 2008 master plan and explained prior efficiency work, including lighting upgrades completed with Franklin Energy and Liberty Utilities (2019–2021) and recent HVAC upgrades funded through ESSER at Woodbury. Payne said the district currently uses about 6.5 megawatt‑hours of electricity per year (district phrasing: "about 6.5 megawatts a year") and that roughly 65% of consumption occurs at the middle and high schools.
Payne told the board some vendors and partners she has contacted — Revision Energy, Kearsarge Energy, Mantis Innovation, Franklin Energy and Liberty Utilities — offer varying services. She said several providers will perform a preliminary energy audit at low or no cost and recommended inviting at least one utility or partner to audit a single building to review the report and decide whether to expand audits or engage a paid consultant. "Some of the companies that are listed here on this paper do those for free," Payne said.
Board members generally supported using free audits first. Member Clow asked for month‑to‑month usage breakdowns and an electricity‑usage comparison across buildings; Payne said staff have trend data and can provide that analysis. Member Mitch Hornek (transcript: "Mitch Hornek") recommended Liberty Utilities begin the review; other board members suggested running multiple free audits and comparing results.
Payne said more expansive proposals sometimes recommend major capital replacements, which the district does not seek immediately given recent renovations. The board discussed the town’s recent community power initiative and whether it would affect the district’s purchasing; Payne said the district is under an existing purchase agreement through 2027 and would follow up with town staff on community power implementation.
No formal vote was taken; board members gave direction to pursue free audits and return with findings and a recommendation about whether to retain a paid consultant for a district‑wide energy plan.
