through repetition of its energy-effi ciency message and by tracking site utility usage. Some schools have integrated energy- effi ciency lessons into their curriculum. Effi ciency lessons learned in school will hopefully be taken home, which in the long run will aid future generations in energy independence.
MOVING FORWARD To meet its 2014 strategic goals, CMS used
the 2007-08 school year as a baseline at which time it had a district-wide kBtu per square foot of 59.96. As of the school year that ended June 2012, CMS has achieved 46 kBtu per square foot, well beyond the estab- lished goal of a 20 percent reduction. In the baseline year, the district used
226 million kilowatts of electrical power to operate schools and offi ces. It used 3.5 million therms of natural gas. It consumed more than 256 million gallons of potable water. The district generated more than 20 million pounds of solid waste. For the school year that ended June 2012, CMS used less than 190 million kWh and less than 2.7 million therms while opening two new high schools, two new middle schools and 11 new elementary schools, as well as complet- ing multiple additions and renovations. This savings allowed the district to avoid more than $22 million in costs during the economic downturn that squeezed school funding, which consequently reduced the number of district layoffs and redirected some funds to classrooms. CMS tracks all utility usage with a
utility-manager software program that identifi es schools with high or low energy consumption, as well as those with signifi - cant variances in consumption. The district has worked with the region’s three largest utility providers to receive bills electroni- cally so they can be directly uploaded into the software program, reducing labor costs. Electronic billing has allowed the district to use a part-time data-processing techni- cian, an energy manager and one support employee to manage its energy program. Typically, CMS looks at monthly and yearly data, but any timeframe can be used; CMS has data for the past 10 years. By identifying
how facilities are performing, CMS is better equipped to uti- lize its limited resources in a manner that saves the district as much money as possible. With the combined efforts
of maintenance, property managers, custodians, engi- neers, students and teachers, CMS has raised its portfolio average ENERGY STAR rating to 73 from less than 50. A rating of 50 indicates average energy performance while a rating of 75 or better indicates top performance. Sixty-fi ve CMS buildings, representing 7.2 million square feet, have received ENERGY STAR certifi cation, meaning they have achieved a rating of 75 or better. Commercial buildings with the ENERGY STAR designation use, on average, 35 percent less energy than other buildings. They also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. One of CMS’ great suc-
cesses was a building that rated well below 30 and now is ENERGY STAR certifi ed. CMS spent less than $2,000 re-commissioning the con- trol system, which has saved the district 10s of thousands of dollars in utility costs. The district’s schools
have also participated in EPA’s Battle of the Buildings Competition, a national chal- lenge in which thousands of buildings compete to reduce their energy waste. CMS en- ters schools that are low and high performers, as well as new and older facilities. Five schools entered last year’s competition: Bradley Middle, Chantilly Montessori, Eliza- beth Traditional, Myers Park Traditional Elementary and Providence Spring Elemen- tary. Myers Park Traditional El- ementary fi nished in the top 15 percent of all buildings. The competition drew attention