West Oso ISD hears Trane presentation on energy upgrades, loan options and stadium power problems

Trane account manager Tony Alvarez presented a preliminary energy survey to the West Oso ISD Board of Trustees, identifying lighting, controls recommissioning, water-conservation measures and HVAC work as the primary energy- and water-saving opportunities across district campuses.

Alvarez said the district’s high school is “18 years old” and recommended a package of lighting upgrades, “controls recommissioning,” water-fixture retrofits and an air-distribution system rebalance to restore design performance and reduce energy use. He told the board that some equipment, like cooling towers, “don’t pay for themselves” because they are repair-or-replace items that do not yield measurable energy savings in the way LED lighting or low-flow fixtures do.

The presentation framed two financing paths: a state-backed, lower-rate program (described in the presentation as the Lone Star/SECO option) and a traditional bank loan. Alvarez showed two illustrative loan scenarios — roughly $1.5 million and $3.0 million — and said the district could see “about $2,000,000 savings … for the district itself for the 15…