sponsored by the federal government, and CMS administrators believe the program is a well-mapped-out, easy-to-use external system. ENERGY STAR software is free; its use only costs Mecklenburg County taxpay- ers staff time. In addition, CMS likes being able to compare its buildings against other similar buildings throughout the state and country with adjustments for weather and other factors. In 2010, CMS was recognized by EPA as
an ENERGY STAR Leader for improving its energy performance across the board by 10 percent from a 2008-09 baseline period. To achieve this reduction, the district consoli- dated non-educational programs into fewer facilities, refi ned a summer energy-savings plan that used a four-day workweek to save about $500,000 in cooling costs, and used posters and the district’s television station to promote energy effi ciency. Successful effi ciency measures included
lighting upgrades, such as T12 to T8; HVAC schedule optimization; remote software and onsite HVAC checks; and installation of programmable thermostats in mobile class- rooms. Many factors determined priority for these projects, including payback calcula- tions; incentives; value-add components, like better quality of lights and color indexes; reduced maintenance costs; and length of operational hours for a facility. CMS also identifi ed site-based energy
Da Sol Lee
ability and stewardship as key strategic goals. Its strategic plan for 2014 set goals to reduce all utility consumption by 20 percent, solid wastes by 5 percent and pollutants by 20 percent. CMS currently is on track to achieve these goals.
ENERGY STAR CMS has been following many principals
and resources from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR website, www. energystar.gov, to help achieve its suc- cess. The district has been an ENERGY STAR partner since 2003. CMS chose to implement ENERGY STAR because it is
48 RETROFIT // January-February 2013
coordinators—typically administrative team members or other leaders—who receive energy-consumption information about their schools and share it with staff and the public to raise awareness about conservation practices. To further reduce energy in their facilities, the energy coordi- nators receive checklists and other energy- related information from the CMS Building Services Group, which includes custodial, energy management, architectural, mobile classroom, energy, environmental health and safety representatives. Student and staff participation is central
to the program’s success. Teachers and stu- dents receive monthly reports of energy use and help increase effi ciency by turning off lights and computers when not in use. CMS ensures everyone is actively participating