Hartford Union High School has reduced total utilities costs by $31,046 this school year compared with the 2022-23 school year, according to information presented during the Jan. 15 Hartford Union High School School Board meeting.
At the start of a presentation on energy costs, information from Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Tracy Peterson showed that from July to December 2022 the district utilities costs (which includes electric, gas, water and sewer) were $206,492. During that same time period in 2023, utility costs were reduced to $175,393.
“We have done a phenomenal job with our energy savings,” Peterson said.
Peterson said the district had higher energy costs in August this year because school started earlier but costs decreased in September as she began to review energy conservation steps. She said the big decrease in energy costs occurred in November and December of this year.
Peterson said weather and facility use are the biggest factors that impact energy use. Other factors listed by Peterson include the building envelope, age of equipment, changes in square footage and and occupancy, consumer energy habits and appliances and electronics.
In examining weather data for this current and past school year, Peterson said the year started out average but heating costs were slightly lower in October. During the 2022-23 school year, there was a cold spell caused by a polar vortex which affected energy usage.
Natural gas comprises 61.4 percent of district energy use, followed by electricity at 38.6 percent, according to Peterson. In terms of costs, electricity covers 62 percent of the district costs, followed by natural gas (25.5 percent) water and sewer (9 percent) and water (3.4 percent).
Peterson explained that while the district had higher electricity usage in October, demand was down which led to decreased costs. Peterson said she talked with Hartford Utilities to find where peak demand was during the day and optimised the district HVAC systems to keep costs down.
In reviewing natural gas use, Peterson said that in addition to the cold weather in December 2022 which led to higher energy costs compared to December 2023, she optimised district breaks to turn off air systems and run as low as possible without freezing the building.
Peterson said she would like to increase the visibility of the energy saving programs, continue to identify efficiency in operations, use down time in the buildings to achieve greater savings and continue to develop an energy conservation culture.
Peterson thanked HUHS staff for energy reduction efforts, noting they have turned off televisions and computers. In addition, staff got rid of items such as coffeemakers and air diffusers to help reduce costs.
– Compiled by Thomas J. McKillen, Managing Editor
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