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Bangor chosen for Maine DOE free energy audit, indoor air-quality testing; district to start data logging
Summary
Bangor Public Schools was selected for a no-cost partnership with the Maine Department of Education and Building Infrastructure Management Solutions (BIMS) to conduct facility energy analyses and indoor air-quality testing; data logging begins immediately and BIMS will help write grants for lighting and IAQ funding.
Heather Hale, director of business services for Bangor Public Schools, told the committee that in early February the Maine Department of Education partnered with Building Infrastructure Management Solutions (BIMS) on a green solutions initiative that offers facility energy analyses and indoor air-quality testing at no cost to selected districts. "Through an application and interview process, Bangor School Department was chosen to be part of that process," Hale said, noting roughly 80 schools applied and Bangor is among the limited number selected.
Hale said BIMS will help the district analyze lighting and indoor air quality, provide data visualizations and presentations that the district can post publicly, and assist with grant writing. She said data logging will begin the next day at priority schools and the measurement period lasts about two weeks; the firm will record metrics such as carbon dioxide levels and other indoor-air-quality indicators before producing a comprehensive analysis. Hale specifically flagged a lighting efficiency grant with a June 30 deadline and an indoor air quality grant due Oct. 1 as potential funding opportunities the district could pursue with BIMS's support.
Committee members asked whether the data and findings would be made public. Member Speed asked: "Will it be made public? Will there be a landing page where folks can track data?" Hale responded that BIMS "will put all this data in graphs" and that presentations and materials can be shared on the district website and in whatever public format the committee prefers.
Member Speed suggested the audit could feed into a broader sustainability or resiliency plan for aging facilities — tracking energy use, water quality, and setting benchmarks. Hale said BIMS will involve the committee and present findings and that the district plans to start with the highest-priority buildings.
The program is informational; the committee did not take a separate formal vote on the audit during the April 29 meeting.
