Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy Efficiency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vendor proposes $4.8M–$5M pilot to cut Calhoun County schools' utility bills
Summary
Schneider Electric told the Calhoun County Board of Education its district-wide audit found about $2.8M in annual utility costs and proposed a $4.8M–$5.0M pilot that the company says would save roughly $700,000 a year and guarantee performance over the contract term.
Schneider Electric representatives told the Calhoun County Board of Education they found substantial opportunities to lower district utility spending after an on-site audit of every school.
"You are spending $2,800,000 a year right now on your utilities across the county," said the Schneider presenter Larry during the district-wide overview. Todd Smith, a Schneider account lead, told the board the firm had identified high-impact measures—LED lighting upgrades, districtwide building automation systems (BAS) and targeted equipment replacements—and proposed a pilot focused on the most inefficient campuses.
The company proposed a pilot scope concentrated at Pleasant Valley and several identified schools and estimated the pilot cost between $4.8 million and $5.0 million. "We think we could reduce over $700,000 a year from the utility and operations budget," Smith said, adding that, by statutory allowance for performance contracting, the company financially guarantees savings measured during the contract term.
Board members asked about sequencing the pilot with planned renovations; Schneider said the automation and lighting systems can be implemented now and integrated with later renovation work. The presentation included an energy-usage index (EUI) analysis by school and a capital-asset planning tool intended to help the district project deferred-maintenance burdens and replacement timing.
The board received the presentation for discussion and did not vote on the pilot proposal at this meeting. Schneider representatives said they would be available to answer further questions and to support board decision-making at upcoming meetings.
