The following Navitas article was published in the Spring Pre-Conference 2017 issue of the Missouri School Plant Manager magazine, published by PTR Communications. The Missouri School Plant Manager magazine is the official publication of the Missouri School Plant Manager’s Association (http://www.mspma.com).
Towards Greater Energy Efficiency: You’ve Already Made Some Crucial Decision, Whether You Realize It or Not
By Ryan Terry (rterry@navitas.us.com)
Are You Going to Make a Decision About Energy Efficiency? Whether you know it or not, you actually have made a decision on energy efficiency. Whether you have decided to do nothing, pursued a traditional process of repairing/replacing systems and equipment, or hired an expert to help you make your energy decisions, decisions have been made.
Have you made the right decisions? Are you as energy efficient as you could be? Are you doing everything you can to make sure your organization is successful?
Most older buildings were not designed with efficient use of energy in mind. In fact, even many of the newer buildings that were designed to be energy efficient are not constructed or operated as intended. Not only does this inefficient operation result in a larger “carbon footprint” but the fact is, inefficient buildings cost more money to run and are less comfortable for occupants.
Whether buildings are new or old, they can be energy efficient. Many schools have begun the transition from doing nothing to having their own staff implement energy-efficient strategies, to hiring contractors or maybe hiring an Energy Service Company. Each of these options may have different benefits, but all are better than doing nothing.
Many schools find themselves doing nothing and choose to close their eyes on the fact that their costs for utilities are high and continue to increase every year. Even though the potential for savings is there, they continue to have utility costs eat further and further into their budgets. They choose to not take the time to understand how much they spend on energy and how that compares to what they should be spending.
There may be other priorities and decisions that need to be made on things that feel more pressing. They continue to do nothing until they find themselves in a spot where other things are not as pressing, they get in financial difficulties, have pressing facility issues or learn something new that causes them to realize their energy costs are a problem.
How and Where to Start
First, take some time to try and understand your problems. Why are you interested in doing something about this? Did you decide you are spending too much on energy? Do you have other places you would like to spend that money? Talk to your administrators, facility staff and others that are impacted by the energy consuming systems you have in your buildings.
Consider talking to other professionals to get their perspectives. Architects, engineers, contractors and Energy Service Companies can provide you with knowledge and experience from their fields of expertise. Take the things you begin to learn and set out on a plan.
The next step involves defining a plan and approach. Do you want help from others or do you want to consider having others help you define a plan and create an approach. Some want help, others feel they can do it cheaper themselves. If this is you, you may be right.
Here is a way for you to think through your situation. It is true that architects, engineers, contractors and Energy Service Companies will charge for their services. Ask yourself if you believe their expertise can provide a better long-term value. The money you are saving by doing it yourself may be eaten up by substandard solutions and lost savings while you wait for projects to be completed.
Or there could be significant ideas or strategies that will provide savings that you haven’t learned about. A professional with significant experience may be able to help you achieve greater savings, more quickly that are more sustainable. Ask yourself these questions:
Energy Knowledge
- Do you know how much energy your facilities consume?
- Do you understand how and why energy is used in your facilities?
- Are you familiar with the latest energy saving equipment, systems and strategies?
- Do your energy saving ideas have many details that need to be evaluated and understood for proper implementation?
Systems and Equipment Knowledge
- Do you have the ability to identify the real problems or determine the best solution?
- Do you know what the issues are with your current equipment or systems?
- Do you have the time and technical ability to investigate many products/solutions and determine which ones are the best?
- Do you have the time and ability to put out an RFP and evaluate the proposals you get back?
Implementation Knowledge
- Do you know how to manage the implementation of the solutions you decide on?
- Does your staff have the time to install the equipment?
- If it takes you longer to implement the solution how much will you lose in savings?
- Are you comfortable managing contractors and vendors to make sure you are getting what you are paying for?
- If they don’t do something correctly will you know?
- What things will you hold your staff or the contractor accountable for? Schedule? Quality? Savings?
Operation Knowledge
- Do you know how to maintain the solution appropriately?
- Do you know how to operate it in the most efficient manner?
- Will you know if it is not operating correctly or achieving the energy efficiency you expect?
- If your bills don’t show the savings what will you do?
If you believe energy efficiency is important and are interested in having your district operate more efficiently, consider the accompanying Steps to Energy Efficiency. Whether you do them yourself or with a consultant, you can improve your situation. Each step builds on the preceding one to optimize your facilities into high-performance schools.
Steps to Energy Efficiency
What decisions will you make about energy efficiency? As this question arises in your organization, help educate others that what you do has a large impact on your overall financial success. Consult with outside professionals as appropriate, and continue doing all you can to improve the quality of education provided in the state of Missouri.
Click here to download a PDF of the article from the Missouri School Plant Manager magazine.
