TPS Saves $8 Million
TPS Saves $8 Million
Faculty and staff at Tulsa Public Schools have saved more than $8 million in energy costs through energy-efficient practices.
The district has achieved $8,677,742 in cost savings in the 34 months since forming a strategic alliance with the national energy conservation company Cenergistic, which presented its Energy Excellence Award during the June 17 board meeting.
“Reaching this savings mark is a significant milestone,” says Dr. William S. Spears, chairman and founder of Cenergistic. “Tulsa Public Schools has achieved success by consistently implementing the organizational behavior-based approach to energy conservation and maintaining productive efforts at all levels of the organization.”
Strong support from School Superintendent Keith Ballard and the board have created an atmosphere of cooperation that should continue to grow and ensure even greater success, he says.
“Saving energy is a very important, yet often overlooked facet of saving dollars,” Ballard says. “In a time when education spending is taking hits, and with the recent sequester affecting available funds, we need to find every possible way to redirect dollars into the classroom. The $8 million saved on energy will go a long way in educating the children of Tulsa.”
A key benefit of the Cenergistic program is that all costs come out of the existing utility budget, with savings projected to more than pay for the program, as they have done for Tulsa Public Schools. Additional savings can be redirected to other parts of the budget. Many organizations credit the program with helping keep personnel and programs that would otherwise have fallen victim to budget cuts — a very real concern with today’s school funding crisis.
As part of the program, Energy Specialists John Martin, Pete Worley and Tracy DeLaughter track energy consumption, including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil, using energy-accounting software. They compare current energy use to a baseline period and calculate the amount of energy saved through conservation and management practices. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, they can quickly identify and correct areas that need immediate attention.
Cenergistic is a technology-powered, data-driven energy conservation company. It helps organizations reduce consumption of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and water. Its methodology approach has helped the average client save close to 30 percent in utility bills.
Updated 07-03-2013
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