Green Schools | News

Michigan District's Green Savings Support Tech Upgrades

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 01/19/11

Taylor School District (TSD) of Taylor, MI is implementing a $14 million energy conservation and building modernization program, partially backed by federal ARRA funds, to address deferred maintenance and improve the comfort and safety of students and staff. The district reported that the program, implemented and managed by Honeywell, is expected to save an average of more than $550,000 on annual energy and operating costs.

Under the agreement with TSD, Honeywell will undertake all of the following projects:

• Deploy a wireless mesh network that will provide broadband Internet access across all the schools, expanding TSD's connectivity and allowing teachers to use interactive whiteboards and other advanced technologies in the classroom, as well as enabling a new voice-over-IP phone system;
• Replace outdated and inefficient boilers and heating controls;
• Install new plumbing fixtures to decrease water use;
• Replace lighting with high-efficiency fixtures and occupancy sensors;
• Update and integrate energy management systems to help facility personnel track energy use and identify additional opportunities to increase savings; and
• Replace doors and windows, and reseal others for greater insulation, to reduce the loss of warm and cool air.

Cost savings are guaranteed through a performance contract with Honeywell, and TSD will use these savings to pay for the necessary upgrades, rendering the program cost-neutral to the district in the long term.

"Most of our facilities had not gone through a major renovation in more than two decades," said TSD Superintendent Beth Iverson. "And, like many districts in Michigan, we didn't have the resources to properly maintain existing systems, let alone install new equipment. By working with Honeywell and leveraging energy savings to pay for needed improvements, we're able to give our students the learning environment they deserve."