By Michael Ginalski
School districts in New York State are required to continually plan for the maintenance of their facilities through the utilization of the Building Condition Survey (BCS) every five years. In spite of this however, most districts have so many needs that the vast majority of needs far exceeds a district’s ability to address all of them. In addition to this, many districts have aging buildings which suffer from poor air quality, lighting, climate control, and ventilation all of which have a direct impact on student learning.
A strategy districts can use to begin to tackle environmental needs is an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) as a means of funding building improvements with no net cost impact to the school district. EPC’s are self-funded using the savings from energy efficiencies and state aid to implement energy retrofits which result in guaranteed annual savings on energy costs. The savings pay for these upgrades and provide an on-going annual savings to school district utility costs.
Major Advantages
An EPC results in upgraded state-of-the-art equipment, improves the building environment, meets all NYSED requirements, and pays for itself through guaranteed savings. There are major advantages with no downside for districts in utilizing an EPC. Those include:
- Eligibility for building aid
- Qualifies for energy incentives
- Coordinates well with existing capital projects
- Guaranteed savings and performance
- Part of a referendum qualifies for an additional 10% in state building aid
For districts, this can mean upgrades to various environmental systems – from controls to windows, lighting to climate control, and boilers to solar panels – all of which can provide a quantum leap in district planning in terms of future projects as well as contribute to improving the overall climate and environment. We are fortunate in New York State that this opportunity is available which demonstrates a true commitment from the State to moving districts towards a more energy efficient environment.
A key component of an EPC is the energy audit conducted by an Energy Service Company (ESCO). ESCOs work with districts to identify systems which can be upgraded to accomplish savings. The ESCO guarantees these savings which in turn pay for the actual capital improvements (the difference between pre-installation and post-installation use). If the projected savings do not occur, the ESCO must compensate districts directly for the shortfall.
Benefits of Energy Performance Contracts
In this COVID-19 era the school environment has been under the microscope. Beyond improving the learning environment and providing a safer environment for students, there are many ways that EPCs benefit school districts and communities including:
- Reduces the burden on taxpayers – EPCs allow districts to not only save money annually but NYS law states that EPCs must be self-funded and tax neutral.
- Opportunities for student engagement – most ESCOs offer educational opportunities for students based on projects underway.
- Improves the learning environment – Too hot or too cold? Poor air flow because windows won’t open? Cold air coming through window units because of age and condition? Bad HVAC? No climate control? Boilers on their last legs? The negative impacts of all of these conditions is not imaginary.
- Demonstrates solid, visionary, and responsible leadership – When a community hires district leaders they expect that they are hiring individuals who will move a district forward to ensure the children of the community have the best opportunity to be successful. They also expect district leadership to be fiscally responsible and understand that reducing energy costs is good for taxpayers.
Energy Performance Contracts provide a great opportunity for districts to become more energy efficient while not negatively impacting taxpayers, their workforce, learning, or programs. In fact, EPCs allow districts to save money which in turn can be reinvested in the workforce or programs. At Welliver, we are working with various districts all of which are at different points in the EPC process from project development to actual implementation. As your Construction Manager, we are poised and ready to assist districts in this great opportunity to move school districts towards a more energy efficient environment.
Mike joins Welliver as our K12 Communication Liaison after 33 years working in the K12 education sector. He brings a comprehensive understanding and direct exposure to all of the issues facing public education today, including improving building energy efficiency and reducing operating costs. In his 13 years as the Superintendent in Corning-Painted Post (CPP) Area School District, Mike led the district through four successful referendums which led to $260M in new construction from 2010-2020. Mike bridges the gap between Welliver’s construction management teams and K12 school district superintendents, school boards, and facility directors. He provides expertise and guidance, as well as helps districts carry out capital improvement initiatives involving pre-referendum voting, budget management, community outreach, and buildings and grounds personnel. Mike can be reached at [email protected].