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Hopkins staff outline solar savings and energy‑use changes that could cut costs by up to $300,000 annually
Summary
New director of buildings and grounds reported on community and on‑site solar programs and operational efficiency measures. District reported $704,000 in community‑solar savings since 2019 and described tactics (scheduling, unoccupied setpoints, LED upgrades) estimated to cut energy costs by roughly $300,000/year if implemented.
Hopkins Public School District’s new director of buildings and grounds provided the school board an overview of district energy partners, community solar subscriptions, on‑site generation and near‑term operational changes that could lower utility costs.
The district participates in a 25‑year community solar subscription with US Solar; the presenter said the district has realized about $704,000 in bill‑credit savings since 2019 and that US Solar projects cumulative savings of roughly $4.6 million over the life of the contract (a projection subject to production changes). On‑site arrays at the high school and one other site generated about 1.4 million kWh in 2023, producing roughly $77,000 in avoided cost that year.
Staff detailed operational levers for near‑term savings: reducing run hours across buildings by about two hours per day (roughly 5,800 hours districtwide annually), programming unoccupied setbacks (e.g., heat setback to 58°F, cooling to 82–84°F), setting holiday schedules, and completing LED retrofits. The presenter said the district currently averages about $1.22 per square foot in energy cost and is targeting $1.00 per square foot; if fully achieved the district could realize roughly $300,000 in annual savings.
Board members asked about resilience and outages; staff explained community solar exports to the grid and cannot serve as building backup. The high school has a generator for critical systems; staff will return with information about backup power at other facilities. Questions on whether the district can add more solar focused on Xcel Energy and contract limits — staff said there are statutory and utility caps on how much subscription and generation a customer may claim and that the district is investigating whether it has remaining capacity to add more subscriptions or on‑site panels.
Next steps: staff will follow up on building generator coverage across sites, continue LED upgrades and automation scheduling, and report back on options to add capacity or alter subscriptions within Xcel’s and contractual limits.
