The Pearl River County School District recently partnered with Schneider Electric to complete an energy saving program that has already saved the district more than $50,000.
“Finances are increasingly hard to come by in public education,” said Pearl River County School District Superintendent Alan Lumpkin, “This is a great opportunity to save money for our district by running more efficiently.”
According to a press release from Schneider Electric, four separate schools throughout the Pearl River County School District underwent upgrades to their infrastructure that improved the overall efficiency of the district’s energy use.
As part of the project, more than 1,600 light fixtures were replaced. Pearl River County School District Business Manager T.J. Burleson said there was also software installed that allows thermostats to be scheduled and maintained automatically.
The various elements of the district-wide energy management project led to a 16 percent reduction in utility costs. The initial estimate for guaranteed savings by August 2014 was projected at $24,694, but the actual figure ended up being $54,427, the release states.
Burleson said the project would continue to save the district money over time by decreasing the amount of money needed to pay for energy costs.
According to the release, the energy-saving project will save the Pearl River County School District around $1.2 million over the course of the next 15 years. The release goes on to state that figure may end up being much larger if the recent savings are an indicator of the long-term.