Today the color of energy is green; but so is the color of money. For all the attention given to “greening” our world, we can never disregard the financial side. In the good old days our energy costs were relatively low and relatively fixed. That is certainly not the case in today’s world. Energy prices are volatile and when you chart them, the line tends to go up not down. No one is expecting that to change. However, MSBO is constantly working to meet your changing needs.
We all know there is a need to pay attention to energy use and the associated costs. Ah, but doing something about it. Therein lies the rub. School districts have done a great job for many years behind the scenes with various efforts to manage energy, such as trying to schedule our heating and cooling systems efficiently, changing to more energy efficient lights, and lowering thermostat set-points, to name a few.
Unfortunately, school districts often hit a wall with behind the scenes efforts, because ultimately it is everyone’s issue; not just business and facilities, and we need everyone to be involved. Ironically, we all have many people in our district that want to contribute, but providing a strategic plan that helps involve all the players takes time and knowledge.
MSBO’s Energy Essentials can help your district get there. Energy Essentials works with your district to determine how you use energy, facilitates a task force to focus on creating a culture of awareness and conservation, provides a robust software tool to measure your energy use and costs, and in the end reduces not only your costs, but also your environmental impact.
This idea of understanding our carbon footprint and environmental impact will only grow in importance as more and more emphasis is put on reducing climate change in our environment.
Additionally, as we think about possible stimulus dollars for energy efficient efforts in our buildings, having a program in place will provide a more coordinated effort when considering the right strategies for your district.
Energy Essentials is committed to working with your district over time and has developed a program ensuring your efforts are sustained well into the future. There are no upfront costs, just 36 low monthly payments, typically equating to between 1 and 2 percent of your average monthly utility bills. Energy Essentials clients have typically realized 10% or greater savings.
For more information or to set up an informational meeting with your district, please call or e-mail Scott Little at 517.327.2582.