Page 29 - The Edge - Summer 2017

eneRGy ReduCtion StRAteGieS will be free, Hulsey said. “The district proved that it can be done,”
he said.
Continued fRom page 27 Hulsey also recommended a vacancy sensor that turns off lights
when a room is empty and the use of LED lights. An AASBO
well in place, allowing winter sun into your building and blocking member in the audience suggested that LED lighting is better for
out summer sun, Erickson said. special education students, and Hulsey agreed. “If LED lighting is
Other strategies involve mechanical systems and low not the standard today, it will be in three or four years,” he said.
maintenance materials and systems. Erickson said his firm meets The cost to light a typical classroom with LED lights is about half
with school officials to discuss what is important to your district of what it costs using fluorescent lights, Hulsey said.
and how to work toward those goals within a limited budget. Initial After lighting, mechanical systems account for the most energy
costs may be a bit higher, but savings over the life of a building are usage of buildings. “High quality indoor air has a great effect on
substantial, Erickson said. One of the things to consider is whether student performance and attendance,” Hulsey said.
the system you choose can be maintained by your own workforce Hulsey recommended installing spray foam insulation, an
as opposed to an outside contractor. Energy Star-rated roof and insulated concrete forms. “When you
Erickson spelled out the benefits of a geothermal heat pump combine all that with geothermal, there is nothing on the roof,” he
system and how it works. Geothermal HVAC systems generally said. “No potential for leaks or breakdowns. It’s easier to maintain
provide energy cost savings of 30 percent to 40 percent, he said. and nobody needs to go onto the roof.”
“It’s simple,” he said. Erickson shared a successful geothermal pilot project at
For example, the temperature of the ground about 10 feet Washington Elementary School District that resulted in a
below the surface is about the same year around, whether you are 40-percent decrease in energy usage. “The district is always looking
in Yuma or the White Mountains. The system uses clean water for ways to save money through energy-usage reduction,” Erickson
through a closed loop. In the winter, the water absorbs heat from said. As a result, the district’s Governing Board has voted to install
the subsurface and delivers it to a heat pump inside the building. In geothermal in its new 90,000-square-foot Lookout Mountain
the summer the process is reversed. It’s good for heating in winter Elementary School built a few years ago, Erickson said.
and cooling in summer. Erickson summed up, emphasizing the importance of
Erickson pointed out potential savings. For example, typical communicating to staff, teachers, the principal, the students and
maintenance of a heat pump compressor is $850, compared to the community about energy-savings programs and policies: “Tell
$10,000 for a chiller compressor. Water treatment costs nothing, them, ‘This is how we run the building. We don’t turn on the lights
while the cost for a central plant is $6,500. A geothermal water if natural lighting is available. We recycle.’ For it to be a success,
pump costs $560 compared to $4,000 to $6,000 for a central plant, everyone must understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing
Erickson said. it.”
“Remember, geothermal equipment lasts longer because it is in
the building plenum and not on the roof,” Erickson said. Bob Erickson can
More savings are available through proper lighting. About be reached at: bob.
25 percent of what a district spends on building operation is for erickson@corgan.com
artificial lighting. Hulsey recommended designing a building or (602) 393-6101.
that takes advantage of sunlight. Harvesting daylight doesn’t cost
anything and natural light is better for students, Hulsey said. Steve Hulsey can be
He told of the Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, reached at: steve.
Texas, which when it was built six years ago was the largest “net hulsey@corgan.
zero” school in the country. “They don’t turn the lights on during com or
the day unless it’s a cloudy day,” Hulsey said. (214) 757-1639.
Under a net zero operation, a school reduces as much energy
consumption as it produces onsite. It takes a lot of systems working
together, Hulsey said, including solar, wind, geothermal and the
proper design to utilize natural light, he said.
In four years the system will have been
paid off and the district’s energy

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