Synergistic presenter says district energy program cut use ~35% and avoided roughly $1.8M in costs

A Synergistic representative reported to the Bartlesville Public Schools board that the district's energy program has reduced energy use per square foot from 75.6 in 2019 to 48.9 through March 2024, a decline the presenter characterized as roughly a 35% reduction. The presenter said that, combined with rising unit costs, that reduction translated into substantial cost avoidance.

"We're down to 48.9, which is about a 35% reduction in energy use," the Synergistic representative said, and summarized avoided consumption and dollar savings. The presenter told the board the district avoided about 17,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity (about a 26% reduction) equal to roughly $1,400,000 in avoided electricity costs; nearly 83,000 decatherms of natural gas (about 40% reduction), saving about $350,000; and about 6.5 million gallons of water/sewage, saving about $85,000. Together, the presenter put program savings at about $1,800,000 through March and said the district was likely near $2,000,000 through May.

Board members asked whether the results exceeded projections and why natural-gas numbers appeared high; the presenter said the slides reflected March data and noted that natural-gas prices have been volatile, with downward movement later in the year.

The presenter also pointed to rising unit costs since 2019 as context: electricity up roughly 45%, natural gas up about 103% and water/sewage up about 34%. He told the board that, without the reductions achieved by the energy program, the district would have seen much larger cost increases from those unit-price trends.

The board did not take action on the presentation; members thanked the presenter and had no further motions on the item. The district plans to continue monitoring usage and the new data portal that was being phased in as part of the contract transition.