N.B. receives award for energy efficiency

Energy Education presented the North Brunswick school district with an award for a successful energy-saving program that has led to environmental conservation and energy savings over the past two years.

Ross Kelly, the regional president of the eastern division of Energy Education, presented Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski, energy specialist Ray Kuehner and the Board of Education with a plaque during the Sept. 22 Board of Education meeting. He said the district has had a 20- percent utility reduction in the past two years, totaling almost $900,000.

“This is emerging as a very important story in energy conservation in this district,” he said. “It’s significant not only in the state of New Jersey but significant across the country.”

Two years ago the district formed an association with Energy Education, a management specialty company based in Texas. The company focuses on the behavioral aspects of energy education and conservation and evaluates existing equipment within the district’s facilities.

In order to track the savings, the district is using EnergyCAP, an independent thirdparty software product in compliance with the U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol.

The evaluations are based on consumption comparisons between the base period and the current billing cycle, meter by meter. Taken into account are changes in weather, building square footage and portable buildings, added or removed mechanical systems, new technology and the length of billing cycles from month to month.

Within the district, Kuehner has said that heating, cooling, electric and gas costs total about $3 million a year.

One important change within the district has been shutting off lights when a room is empty. Another is opening shades to let in light and warmth when the weather is cold, and shutting them to block out the cold or extreme summer heat.

Kuehner checks the buildings during the night and holidays, using laser technology to check temperature and a HOBO data log- ger to check heating, cooling, lighting and dew points.

In addition, the lights have been disconnected on the 20 vending machines at Linwood Middle School and North Brunswick Township High School, saving about $100 per machine per year, or about $2,000 total.

Kuehner has also said that by lessening energy, natural gas and electricity use in the schools, the town has basically taken 100 cars off the road, which is equivalent to having planted 2,500 trees.

“…[E]very nickel we save is not only good for the environment but good for our budget, because every nickel saved goes back into the classroom,” Zychowski said. “We certainly don’t have the means and funds to waste.”

There was no capital investment because new equipment is not required, but the fee is $20,700 per month to the company for the first four years, which includes almost weekly visits by energy experts, an individual plan for every facility, and the implementation of an energy educator manager.

The software was purchased from a third-party vendor, Good Steward Software in Pennsylvania. There was a purchase fee of $12,000 and an annual fee of $1,200; the first year includes the annual fee.

Energy Education representative Michael Bitar told the Board of Education at a public meeting last year that as long as the district continues the energy manager position, continues to send data and agrees to not have scheduled visits, “there will never be a fee after four years.”

Contact Jennifer Amato at

jamato@gmnews.com.