Receiving the Energy Pacesetter Award are, from left to right, Christopher Claus, Guilderland Teachers Association president and high school reading teacher, Terrance Andres, maintenance mechanic, Tim Martin, Altamont Elementary School head custodian, and Fred Tresselt, district energy manager.

Guilderland Schools Setting the Pace for Savings

GUILDERLAND, NY – Teachers and staff at Guilderland Central School District are leading the way for other school districts while achieving big savings with energy-efficient behavior — and now those good habits are earning the district national recognition.

Guilderland schools have achieved a 22 percent cost savings totaling $510,512 in 13 months since forming a strategic alliance with Energy Education, Inc., a national energy conservation company, which presented the district with its Energy Pacesetter Award during the School Board meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2006.

“Reaching this level of savings at this stage of the program is a significant achievement. Guilderland Central School District has done an excellent job of implementing Energy Education’s people-oriented approach to energy conservation and maintaining productive efforts at all levels of the organization. The superintendent and school board, along with other administration, faculty and staff members are to be commended for clearly fulfilling their commitment to being good stewards of the taxpayers’ money and the environment,” said Dr. William S. Spears, CEO and founder of Energy Education, Inc.

“Strong support from Superintendent Dr. Gregory J. Aidala and the Board of Education have created an atmosphere of cooperation that should continue to grow and ensure even greater success well into the future,” Dr. Spears said.

“I am extremely pleased to present Guilderland Central School District with our Energy Pacesetter Award. The district joins a very committed, elite group of school districts across the country working hard to conserve energy so the dollars saved can be redirected to educational needs,” said Dr. Spears.

As a key part of the program, district Energy Educator Manager Fred Tresselt tracks energy consumption — including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil — using energy-accounting software. He compares current energy use to a baseline period and calculates the amount of energy that would have been used had conservation and management practices not been implemented. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, he can quickly identify and correct areas that need immediate attention.

“The success of the program rests heavily with the work performed by Mr. Tresselt,” said Dr. Gregory J. Aidala, Superintendent. “His ability to mobilize staff behind this initiative has been nothing short of amazing.”

“My job as the energy manager has been very rewarding,” said Tresselt. “The cooperative efforts of the entire Guilderland community—from custodial and maintenance personnel to educational staff at all levels—have made for a very successful endeavor.”

He went on to say that “when I audit each building in the district, I am always encouraged to see that everyone understands and appreciates how energy can be conserved and money saved.”

A key benefit of the Energy Education, Inc. program is that all costs come out of the existing utility budget, with savings projected to more than pay for the program, as they have done for Guilderland Central School District. Additional savings can be redirected to other parts of the district’s budget. Many districts credit the program with helping keep personnel and programs that would otherwise have fallen victim to budget cuts — a very real concern with today’s school funding crisis.

Energy Education, Inc.’s innovative energy conservation program is a win-win alliance that trains school district personnel to create substantial energy savings, and is funded solely by the savings the program generates. Districts can redirect additional saved energy dollars to educational resources. Energy Education, Inc. has worked with more than 790 school districts across the nation, positively impacting the educational environment of ten million children and helping school districts save more than $1 billion in 20 years.

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