Energy Efficiency  -  August 13, 2019

Calif. school district completes energy efficiency effort

The Lynwood Unified School District in Lynwood, Calif. has completed an energy efficiency project expected to save $4.3M in utility costs over the next 15 years.

The two-phased project began in August 2015 and reached commercial operations in February 2019. Seven of the district’s least efficient elementary schools, along with its administrative office building, were the subjects energy retrofits that included the installation of comprehensive LED lighting, web-based energy management, wireless lighting control systems, and upgraded HVAC systems. The project was completed in partnership with Ameresco, Inc.

The energy efficiency upgrades that the district has pursued are exceeding the estimated energy savings by an additional 9% annually. This equates to a reduction in electrical costs of 34 percent--representing approximately $234,000 in annual savings.

The district received a $3.9M grant to complete this project, made possible by Proposition 39, the California Clean Energy Jobs Act, which allocates funding to public schools that are pursuing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

"Upgrading our energy systems provides a significant financial benefit that we are able to reinvest into our critical infrastructure--an incredibly important endeavor for a public school system,” said Gudiel Crosthwaite, Ph.D., Superintendent, Lynwood Unified School District, in a statement. “At the same time, the environmental benefits we derive from these energy retrofits align with our emphasis on sustainability as a facet of our curriculum. We’re able to share with our students the real-world improvements we are making to reduce our own carbon footprint as a district.”

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