School district to study energy-saving measures

A host of money- and energy-saving capital improvement projects will be up for approval at an upcoming Delaware city school board meeting.

Larry Davis, director of facilities and transportation, on Nov. 7 described to the board projects he expects can lower the district’s energy costs by $226,500 annually. The projects include insulation replacement in 11 district buildings, as well as lighting improvements in nine buildings.

“Every one of the schools is affected first of all by lighting,” Davis said. “(One of) the things that we can do to conserve electrical energy (is work on) the lighting going through our buildings.”

Davis has seen the district through the conversion from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lights and is now transitioning the district to newer, more efficient lighting. “It’s just a normal progression,” he said. “$115,000 of our annual savings is going to come strictly out of lighting.”

Additional savings could be achieved by replacing the boilers at Hayes High School, which were installed when the school was built in the 1960s, Davis said.

“They’re still in there as we speak right now,” he said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining them, but it also runs up our operating costs.”

Also at Hayes, Davis said, the district can install a water reclamation system that will allow non-potable water to be used for the building’s air-conditioning condensers.

“We have to constantly run … potable, good water in the tower,” Davis said.

The final costs of the improvements have yet to be calculated. Davis said he would have more concrete figures to present to the board at its next meeting, a work session scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28.

Also at the meeting, Superintendent Paul Craft announced the district was awarded two Soar Awards for High Progress from Battelle for Kids.

The first is the most-improved award. “The district itself is being identified as among the top five of all (135) participating Soar districts,” Craft said.

In addition, Hayes High School is receiving an award for its improving student test scores.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony Nov. 14 at the Greater Columbus Area Convention Center.