By working with Idaho Power to become more energy efficient, the Nampa School District saved more than 450,000 kilowatt hours in 2017 and earned an incentive check for $59,033.80. The incentive was presented during the July 10 school board meeting by Idaho Power’s Rudy Beltran and Jake Perryman.
Participating schools were East Valley Middle School, West Middle School and Skyview High School. Students practiced energy conservation, sponsored a school-wide blackout day, supported a “lamp up” program to use lamps instead of overhead lights, and created a video demonstrating the proper use of the school’s HVAC system, among other efforts. The incentive money will be split among the three schools.
It’s all part of Idaho Power’s Continuous Energy Improvement (CEI) Cohort for Schools program. The cohort brought together superintendents, principals, teachers and volunteers from school districts in Idaho and eastern Oregon to share knowledge on energy saving opportunities. In addition to Nampa, participating districts included Aberdeen, Buhl, Boise, Caldwell, Cassia County, Jerome, Pine Eagle (Ore.) and Wendell.
Through the cohort, participants assessed their current energy use, identified metrics to evaluate energy consumption and developed a plan to reduce energy use at facilities in their district with the assistance of industry experts. Energy efficiency training and coaching was provided and models were built to track energy savings at the participating facilities.
“It has been a pleasure working with the Nampa School District, and they should be proud of the results they have achieved so far,” said Chris Pollow, an energy efficiency engineer for Idaho Power. “The reduced energy bills and incentives earned will help further support facility and operational improvements, enhancing the educational experience of their students for years to come.
Program benefits include:
- A demonstration of the school district’s commitment to track progress and ensure tax funds are spent wisely
- Less funding needed for energy bills and more funding available for educational priorities
- The extended life of existing equipment and avoided maintenance costs
- A long-term plan to achieve sustainable energy savings
Since 2007, the Nampa School District has completed more than 130 projects encompassing everything from lighting upgrades to HVAC system improvements. In total, the district has saved 7.2 million kilowatt hours and earned incentives of $1,052,852.
Idaho Power estimates that the annual savings of more than $550,000 in energy bills is enough to power approximately 630 average-sized homes for an entire year.