Coquitlam School District 43
The Story
The savings keep building
John McKay, Resource Conservation Manager, School District 43
"In the Coquitlam School District, we have to do more with less and we can. It's my job to identify the energy saving opportunities and make them happen. It's working. We saved almost $500,000 last year" says John McKay, Resource Conservation Manager, Coquitlam School District 43.
The Situation
The Coquitlam School District 43 and other School Districts throughout B.C. face a common problem: limited budget and rising expenses. It's a problem that is even more challenging for school districts where the vast majority of their budget is devoted to fixed costs and zero budget increases are expected for the next 3 years. A balanced budget is needed to deliver quality education. With little discretionary spending, lowering expenditures is a challenge.
The Solution
To help manage the budget, John McKay, Resource Conservation Manager for the Coquitlam School District 43 was hired in 1998 to focus on reducing utility costs. Although utilities are a small part of the overall budget, it involves a substantial amount of money (over $4 million in 2001/2002) and represents over 95% of the discretionary spending in the budget.
BC Hydro has worked with John to identify and implement energy saving projects in schools throughout School District 43. "John applies an integrated, proactive approach and is committed to continuous improvement in energy efficiency and waste reduction. He has developed a comprehensive energy efficiency program that is very impressive" states Brian McDonald, BC Hydro's Key Account Manager for School District 43. The program includes:
- Integrating utility conservation issues into the curriculum and holding training and awareness seminars for teachers, maintenance and custodial staff. The training programs are action oriented. Cash rewards are available to successful schools based on savings achieved.
- Designing new buildings to meet high energy efficiency standards with help from BC Hydro's Building Design Assistance program.
- Upgrading and retrofitting lowest performing schools (in energy efficiency) using BC Hydro's Building Performance Program and e-Review program to identify energy saving opportunities.
- Detailed tracking and monitoring of utility consumption to identify lowest performing schools and quickly identify anomalies for early intervention. Tracking is possible through the use of Utility Manager 3.0 software procured with the support of BC Hydro.
The Benefits
Broader awareness of energy conservation issues. Behavioral changes such as turning off lights, shutting off fans, closing doors and windows and turning off computers have resulted in 10 - 15% reductions in energy consumption.
Reduced environmental impacts. Decreased water consumption, less garbage output and lower greenhouse gas emissions have positive environmental effects.
Reduced operating costs. For the 2000/2001 school year, energy costs were reduced by an estimated $500,000. The previous year, savings were $200,000 and $100,000 in 1998/1999. By continually improving efficiencies, the savings keep building.
Contact Us
Find out how an energy manager could help your business improve efficiencies while reducing your energy costs. Call us today at 1 866 453-6400
