California schools from elementary to community college level now have a step-by-step guide that the state hopes will inspire districts to generate electricity on site in order to slash energy costs.
California's State & Consumer Services Agency released its guide, called "Grid Neutral: Electrical Independence for California Schools and Community Colleges," this month at the annual Green California Schools Summit in Anaheim.
"One of the cornerstones of my administration has been to reduce our state's carbon footprint," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in his forward to the guide. "By making our schools more environmentally sound, we teach our students the value of preserving our natural resources. Becoming grid neutral is a sensible strategy for schools to both conserve energy use and explore how to access alternative energy sources for their needs."
The 49-page guide on generating electricity from renewable resources outlines the basics of solar, solar-thermal, geothermal and wind power. The how-to explains what to do to transform campuses so that they balance electricity use with on-site electricity generation. The guide also details ways to pay for grid-neutral projects from engaging in power purchase agreements to seeking state help through the High Performance green projects program for California schools.
"California's schools are leaders in 'green' education, it's time each one has the tools they need to become our state's environmental leaders as well," said Rosario Marin, secretary of the State & Consumer Services Agency, in announcing the guide.
For example, energy costs for the Elk Grove School District, the fifth largest in the state with 61,000 students and 61 schools, were $6.2 million in 2006 for electricity consumption amounting to 58.2 million kilowatt hours.
In laying out a business case for its advice, the guide briefly sketches a scenario in which the district could save about 30 percent through a series of steps from no-cost action to lighting and HVAC retrofits. The guide also touches on a more ambitious move involving a solar array power purchase agreement that could realize "immediate savings of up to $620,000 per year," the guide said.
In addition to the cost argument, the guide noted that California schools will be required to reduce their CO2 emissions by 30 percent, based on 1990 levels, by 2020. The mandated reduction will rise to 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050.
The drive to reduce energy costs and make schools more energy efficient continues to gain momentum across the country, according to Honeywell International.
The firm said this week that it has helped school districts around the country save more than $153 million in energy and operational costs since 2006 through its building solutions programs.
Old, inefficient buildings cost U.S. schools an estimated $1.5 billion a year because 25 percent of the energy used on campuses is wasted, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
According to Honeywell, its work with schools largely involves energy performance contracts, in which schools pay for facility improvements over a specific timeframe with the energy and operating savings resulting from systems upgrades. Honeywell says it guarantees the results so the work usually doesn't impact budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars.