Beech Tree News Network

During the recent Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) Annual Conference, school districts were recognized for having at least one school that had achieved the ENERGY STAR Labeled School rating of 75 or above. Special recognition was given to 10 districts - including Butler Counry - that have achieved ENERGY STAR rating for all their schools.
An ENERGY STAR Labeled School means the building is operating as efficiently as the top 25 percent of K-12 schools in the nation. The energy data is verified by a professional engineer or registered architect and the labeling is evidence that taxpayer monies are being used effectively.
The Energy Utilization Index in a typical ENERGY STAR Labeled School is 40-50 kBtu per square foot. Nationwide, an average school has an index of 73 kBtu/sf. For a typical Kentucky middle school of 100,000 square feet, the difference between operating at 73Kbtu/sf to less than 50Kbtu/sf represents a savings of $58,000 annually. That $58,000 is money that can now be spent for student needs.
ENERGY STAR represents energy efficiency. This is important to Kentucky school districts, as utility costs continue to rise and district budgets shrink. With tight budgets and rising utility costs, it is critical to implement energy efficiency strategies. Using resources from the ENERGY STAR program provides opportunities to effectively use taxpayer monies, meaning there are more dollars for students, not energy.
Since 2010, Kentucky school districts have developed and implemented energy management plans that have led to over $68 million in avoided energy costs through June 2015. As of April 1, 2016, Kentucky had 327 ENERGY STAR Labeled Schools, moving Kentucky past New York in the rankings and into the top 10 nationally, with 26 million sq. ft. of ENERGY STAR rated school space. As a partner with Kentucky school districts, the Kentucky School Boards Association’s School Energy Managers Project has assisted districts and their energy managers with these efforts.