The Four Cornerstones to Building a Successful Conservation Culture

The Four Cornerstones to Building a Successful Conservation Culture

Gresham-Barlow School District (Background) Gresham-Barlow School District (Background)

State of Oregon: We are one of the 10th largest School Districts in the State with 11,385 students.

School Infrastructure: We have 11 Elementary, 5 Middle and 2 High Schools with one Alternative High School, totaling 1,685,004 square feet. Our oldest school was constructed in 1914 and our newest in 2002, with an average age of 44 years old.

Resource Conservation: Our Resource Conservation Management program started in 1998 under the leadership of Michelle Granger-Moore (CFO).

Today’s Performance: We operate our school buildings at an average of 48 kBtu / Sq. Ft., which is far below the national average.

Today’s Cost Avoided: This last school year, we avoided $1.5 million in our utility expenses when compared to each school’s base year after being adjusted for weather, square footage increases, additional computer loads and increases in energy prices (District wide - 48.7% reduction).

Gresham-Barlow School District Leadership Gresham-Barlow School District Leadership

ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year: We received the 2006 & 2008 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Energy Management and 2009 for Sustained Excellence – the first School District in the Nation.

ENERGY STAR Leadership: We are the first and only organization to receive the ENERGY STAR Leader, with an increase of 30+ points for our entire portfolio.

ENERGY STAR Schools: 18 of our 19 schools have achieved the ENERGY STAR Label and proudly display their ENERGY STAR plaques near their front doors (12 schools in 2006 and 5 schools in 2007 and 1 school in 2008).

Pacific Northwest Leadership: We received the 2007 BetterBricks Award. This is the highest energy efficiency and environmental award available in the Pacific Northwest.

School District Leadership: We are constantly encouraging and providing leadership guidance to other school districts in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the United States.

GBSD Leadership Example GBSD Leadership Example

School District’s Reality of Managing EnergySchool District’s Reality of Managing Energy

Energy is used by everyone; therefore, everyone must be part of helping to manage it.

Managing Energy Effectively has 3-core Challenges / Problems:• First – Energy is a People Problem. Get your people aware, educated, engaged and

empowered to participate.

• Second – Energy is an Equipment Problem. Know your building’s controls and equipment, so you will know where to invest your capital wisely.

• Third – Energy is a Continuous Problem. People move on, equipment breaks, and systems fail. Keep a sharp eye on your performance and catch problems early.

GBSD – Performance over the last 10 yearsGBSD – Performance over the last 10 years

Why ENERGY STAR BenchmarkingWhy ENERGY STAR Benchmarking

Awareness – National Brand: People associate it with doing the right thing, which makes them feel good.

Awareness - Fair Comparison: Showcases the best and worst performers using the most credible benchmarking system in the country.

Awareness – Education for Change: Guides people to a better understanding of their school’s performance and starts them down the path of improvement.

1. Executive Buy-In

2. Energy Management Data System

3. Empowering People

4. Building Systems and Equipment

Four Cornerstones – Conservation CultureFour Cornerstones – Conservation Culture

Culture is Dictated from the Top DownCulture is Dictated from the Top Down

Create a Board Policy to support your efforts

You Can’t Manage What You Don’t MeasureYou Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure

Monthly Utility BillsNormalized: Weather, School Hours

ENERGY STAR RatingsMonthly Performance

Interval Data15-minute Profiles

Next Day InformationDaily Performance

Energy Management Data SystemsTwo Data Streams

15-minute Interval Data – Available Next Day 15-minute Interval Data – Available Next Day

Sequencing of Equipment Run-time

Operational Changes to Custodial Work

Summer Break Savings = 33,775 kWh over last summer

At a blended rate of $0.85/kWh = $2,870

15-minute Interval Data – Available Next Day 15-minute Interval Data – Available Next Day

After School Shutdown: 190 school days a year = 227/kWh/day

Projected Savings = $6,500/yr

Monthly Utility Data - The Final Measuring StickMonthly Utility Data - The Final Measuring Stick

Interval Data helps Facility People make better daily decisions.

Monthly Utility Bill Data is the where the Accountants look to see success. Bottom-line: Your daily good work must be reflected in the Final Measuring Stick – the Utility Bill

Continuous Watching – Catch Problems EarlyContinuous Watching – Catch Problems Early

Continuous Watching (continued)Continuous Watching (continued)

Holiday schedule operating properly:

Energy Center – Communicating Our ActionsEnergy Center – Communicating Our Actions

ENERGY STAR – Creates Healthy CompetitionENERGY STAR – Creates Healthy Competition

Disclosure – Very Powerful Tool

Empowering People – Make it Simple and EasyEmpowering People – Make it Simple and Easy

Everyone is busy and energy is complex

Must meet people where they are NOT where you want them to be

OR where you think they should be

ENERGY STAR Rating – Making it Easy to UnderstandENERGY STAR Rating – Making it Easy to Understand

As the ENERGY STAR Rating increases – the Energy Intensity

(kBtu/SqFt) decreases

Empowerment – People Taking ChargeEmpowerment – People Taking Charge

Head Custodian at Deep Creek Elementary

Empowerment – People taking Charge (continued)Empowerment – People taking Charge (continued)

Encouragement – Share the Good NewsEncouragement – Share the Good News

Mr. Steven’s 4th Grade Class of Powell Valley Elementary School, Gresham-Barlow School District in Oregon adopts the JCPenney Energy Board concept and takes it to a new

level (28 feet long)

Empowerment – One Stop Shop for PerformanceEmpowerment – One Stop Shop for Performance

Changing behavior is hard. To ensure long-term sustainability, change needs to be consistently

promoted.

Rewarding PerformanceRewarding Performance

Building Systems and Equipment

Tracking the Performance of Your InvestmentTracking the Performance of Your Investment

Tracking the Performance of Your InvestmentTracking the Performance of Your Investment

Conclusion - Four Cornerstones to Long-Term SuccessConclusion - Four Cornerstones to Long-Term Success

1. Executive Buy-In

2. Energy Management Data System

3. Empowering People

4. Building Systems and Equipment