Fleming County schools earn ENERGY STAR certification

Upgrades are saving district $100,000 annually

FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (Dec. 11, 2014) — Fleming County High School and Hillsboro Elementary School were recognized by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) and the Kentucky School Boards Association for earning the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification.

ENERGY STAR is a national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy performance. Certificates signed by Gov. Steve Beshear were presented during the Dec. 10 meeting of the Fleming County Board of Education.

Energy Manager Terry Anderson said energy efficiency measures save Fleming County Schools $100,000 annually.

“Fleming County School District strives to set an example of good environmental and financial stewardship for our students and community,” said Fleming County School District Superintendent Brian Creasman. “We promote energy conservation to reduce operating costs which helps to maximize the funds available for instruction programs and support. A dollar saved on energy is a dollar that goes back into the classroom.”

Hillsboro has made cost effective improvements by replacing a coal-fired boiler with a geothermal heating and cooling systems and switched to efficient lighting with occupancy sensors and controls to monitor and adjust heating and cooling when the building is not occupied.

Energy reductions at the high school resulted from implementing energy management practices such as turning off computers and controlling heating and cooling when the building is not in use and energy efficient lighting retrofits in the gymnasium.

EPA’s ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 100-point scale may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification.

Originally constructed in 1936, the Hillsboro Elementary School earned an ENERGY STAR score of 83 while the energy efficiency of the 40-year-old Fleming High School ranks in the top 5 percent nationally with an ENERGY STAR score of 95.

Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.