Guthrie district praised for energy savings; five buildings earn Energy Star and foundation gets $2,000

Synergistic representatives told the Guthrie Public Schools Board of Education on March 9 that an energy‑conservation partnership running since October 2021 has produced substantial savings and recognition for the district.

Colin Alexander, the program’s client manager, said verified program savings through December 2025 total about $738,000 after adjustments for weather and other factors, and that the district’s energy‑use intensity fell from 58.8 to 44.8 — a reduction of roughly 23–24 percent. Alexander said the avoided energy use over the period is about 36,000 MMBtu, which Synergistic translates to roughly 4,000 metric tons of CO2 avoided.

“That’s money that can go where it ought to be going, right into the classrooms,” Alexander said, describing routine work by the district’s energy specialist and maintenance staff to identify and correct systems that run unnecessarily and to scale building systems during unoccupied periods such as spring break.

Carrie Debose of Synergistic said the program has produced life‑of‑program cost savings of $738,230 and helped the district earn multiple Energy Star recognitions: five schools will receive Energy Star certifications this year, and the district has achieved six Energy Star certified buildings over the life of the partnership. Debose described Energy Star certified buildings as typically using 35% less energy and causing 35% fewer greenhouse‑gas emissions than comparable buildings.

As part of a Best‑in‑Class recognition, Synergistic presented the district with a plaque and a $2,000 community scholarship check to the Guthrie Education Foundation. Debose and Alexander credited the district’s maintenance‑and‑operations staff and the program liaison, Cody Thompson, for the results, and singled out Ronnie Phillips, the district’s energy specialist, for his day‑to‑day auditing and monitoring work.

Why it matters: The district faces rising utility rates — speakers cited increases of approximately 50% for electricity and 77% for natural gas since the program began — and the board was shown how conservation measures have offset some of that budget pressure. Board members were told the program’s reported savings allow the district to redirect funds to classrooms and programming.

The board had no substantive debate about the presentation and moved on to the consent agenda. Synergistic indicated it will continue monthly support and can assist the district with Energy Star certification paperwork.

The board’s next regular meeting schedule and other routine agenda items were unchanged following the presentation.