Staff Writer
Teamwork can pay off when it comes to increasing environmental stewardship and energy efficiency. Administrators at the newly formed Eastern Aroostook Regional School Unit 39 (Caribou, Limestone and Stockholm) are poised to launch $2.8 million in infrastructure upgrades expected to save more than $250,000 annually, improve the learning and teaching environment and reduce dependence on oil as an energy source.
Staff photo/Mark Putnam
Officials with RSU 39 signed contracts yesterday for $2.8 million in infrastructure improvements at Caribou’s high school and technology center expected to save more than $250,000 annually, improve the learning/teaching environment and reduce the district’s dependence on oil as an energy source. Attending the Feb. 23 ceremony were, clockwise from lower left, Superintendent Frank McElwain, School Board Chair Scott Willey, Trane Comprehensive Solutions General Manager Chris Marshall and Trane Energy Services Manager Brent Dudley.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, representatives from Trane Energy Services joined with Eastern Aroostook RSU 39 officials for a contract signing ceremony at the Caribou Technology Center, launching a performance contracting program of energy conservation measures through Trane.
Present during the RSU 39 signing ceremony were, Scott Willey, chairman RSU 39 board of education; Frank McElwain, superintendent of schools Eastern Aroostook RSU 39; Brent Dudley, manager, Trane Energy Service; and Chris Marshall, Trane’s comprehensive solutions general manager.
Created last year by Maine’s school consolidation law, the district also expects to save more than 84,000 KWh of energy and 71,000 gallons of fuel by completing the improvements at the Caribou High School and Caribou Technology Center. Scheduled for completion by the time classes resume in the fall, the upgrades will reduce energy costs, replace aging equipment and improve indoor air quality.
The majority of the savings for the project will be driven by a new biomass boiler plant, which depends on low-cost wood chips instead of fuel oil. Savings are projected to be enhanced by one-time incentives from Efficiency Maine totaling $11,131.
The renovations will be funded by a performance contract, a model that allows schools to use future energy and operational savings to finance infrastructure improvement projects. A performance contract is an option for funding energy-saving improvements in buildings that provides measurable business results. By managing and optimizing energy use, schools can leverage operational savings to support strategic educational objectives.
“It’s exciting to make these changes,” said McElwain. “They improve the teaching and learning experience, all while saving money and helping the environment. It’s even better that the district can accomplish this without any new taxes.”
Improved classroom conditions can actually affect student performance. A recent study in Educational Facility Planner Report found a direct correlation between classroom environmental conditions and student performance.
Prior to selecting specific energy conservation measures, administrators approved completion of a formal audit of district buildings to identify solutions that would best meet their needs. Selected upgrades include a new biomass boiler plant at the Caribou high school, which will account for 78 percent of the overall project’s energy savings.
The new plant will serve the entire Caribou High School complex which includes the Performing Arts Center and the Caribou Technology Center. The biomass boiler, compliant with the latest Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, will burn locally-obtained wood chips to produce more efficient and less expensive energy than the oil-burning boiler it replaces.
Other installations at the high school will include low-flow toilets and fixtures to conserve water. New high-efficiency unit ventilators, lights and lighting controls will enhance the learning environment and reduce energy costs. New controls for the walk-in cooler and the walk-in freezer will improve refrigeration efficiency and provide a longer system life cycle. The steam to hot water conversion system will replace a failing heating system to provide greater comfort and system reliability, reduce noise levels and energy costs and improve indoor air quality.
Energy management and computer network controls will be added throughout the buildings to monitor energy consumption. Coupled with sophisticated management software tied back to a central system at the facility director’s office, real-time status of systems and the environment in all buildings will allow proactive adjustments and reduced labor as changes are made remotely.
McElwain stated that the project is poised to begin the day school is out in June and must be completed by the time classes resume in the fall, in order to maintain an uninterrupted/undisturbed learning environment for the students.
