By Ann Petersen
Despite use of energy-saving lighting and a design aimed at
efficiency, the new $17 million school complex is using 10 to 25 percent more electricity
every month than the three previous, separate school buildings, according to a report
released last week.
Stephanie Scott, staff to the borough’s Energy and
Sustainability Commission, delivered results of her energy audit on the combined school
building to the school board Feb. 10 and to the Haines Borough Assembly Feb. 17.
Scott described energy consumption at the new school building
and at Mosquito Lake School as “stunning.” The new school building alone uses
around half of all electricity and heating oil consumed by borough facilities, and more
energy than the Chilkat Center, Sheldon Museum, library, radio tower, weather station, and
administrative and public safety buildings combined.
Superintendent Michael Byer and the school board reacted with
dismay to the report, saying many efforts have been made during the design phase and in
the first year of the school’s use to cut energy use.
School board president Carol Kelly was surprised at the report
because the new school complex architects that had been selected for the building were
“the most green of all that applied. We assumed we were going to get some energy
efficiency.”
“You’d like to think you could trust the experts,”
Byer remarked.
Byer said Scott’s report “really got me wondering (how
the retired buildings used less energy) with older wiring, lighting, boilers, and
ventilation systems. I would like to know why that is.”
Charles Bettisworth, of Bettisworth North architects that
designed the new school building, suggested that a new ventilation system and computer
networking systems could be the cause of increased electricity use.
Bettisworth said energy savings should be coming from specially
installed occupancy sensors in the building, new energy efficient lighting, as well as
training that was provided to the facilities managers on how to best utilize new
technologies in the building.
Bettisworth said he would be willing to work with the commission
to help the school reduce electricity usage, and that he has contacted the electrical
engineer of the project to follow-up on possible causes for the increase.
School district figures show electrical consumption in 2005 also
was running as much as 24 percent less per month than in 2008.
Increased power use can’t be attributed to a change in the
size of the structures, as the new school is 4,500 square feet smaller than the sum of the
three former school buildings.
Energy commission staffer Scott recommends the school use LED
lighting in the parking lots, regulate the ventilation system to match building
inhabitation, and shut down computers completely when not in use. According to Scott, a
large part of reducing wasteful energy use involves “changing the behavior of
individuals” such as encouraging people to turn off equipment and lights when leaving
a room.
To facilitate student awareness and participation in reducing
consumption, science teacher Pam Randles will give a training session at the new school in
March.
Heating oil use is greatly reduced in the new school building,
down 30 percent in November 2008 compared to the same month in 2006.
The commission has set a goal for a 5 to 7 percent reduction in
electrical use by the school during the next three years. However, the first month of
available data for 2009 shows that the new school building’s electricity consumption
is still on the rise.
As compared to January 2008, the school used 7 percent more
electricity in January 2009, an increase of 10,000 killowatt-hours per month compared to
the January 2006 electricity consumption at the three separate school buildings.
Based on current electricity prices, the difference represents
an approximately $2,000 to $3,000 increase per month.
Ten-thousand kilowatt hours is enough power to run 130
televisions 24 hours a day for an entire month, or to completely power 10 average American
households for one month.