Lake Zurich schools looking to green up buildings

Officials in Lake Zurich Unit District 95 are proposing a new plan to make school buildings more energy efficient.

School board members will hear a presentation on the energy performance contracting plan from Assistant Superintendent of Finances and Operations Jeff King at the Thursday night board meeting. After the presentation, officials are scheduled to vote on whether to pursue the project.

School board vice president John Kropf said he thinks the board will back the project.

"I think the support is there for the (plan)," Kropf said. "It is a good fiscal move."

District 95 officials have not yet developed a cost estimate for the plan, King said, but the project would be funded through the district's general operating fund.

"The energy savings and labor savings should offset our payment at the end of the year," he said.

Under the proposal, a company would be hired to identify and oversee scheduled repair and renovation projects, such as lighting, boilers, ventilation and roofing, and propose ways to make them more "green" rather than using old construction techniques.

The first step to becoming a more energy efficient district is to audit each of the district's eight buildings. The audit will decide which buildings will get the most energy savings from the projects and which will not be as effective.

"Typically, a high school will always qualify because of the size of the building," King said. He was unsure about the other buildings, but said some are likely large enough to qualify.

The company heading the project would conduct an analysis at the end of the school year to determine if their work was cost effective. If the project budget does not balance out, the company is required to pay the difference, King said.

In order to properly maintain the projects, King said, he will suggest the board approves one or two buildings each year, starting with next school year. He also said he will suggest projects, such as lighting repairs be done first, because the payback for lighting is "very quick" at two to three years.

The district budgeted $1.7 million for energy costs during the 2010-11 school year, King said. No cost reduction goal has been set.

King is no stranger to energy efficiency projects. He proposed and set up a similar plan at his former position in Elgin Area Unit District 46 and said it has been successful.

If the District 95 school board votes in favor of the project, it will take another step toward energy efficiency, King said. The district recently signed an electricity contract for the 2010 to 2012 school years that is expected to $190,000 annually.