Long before it was cool to be green, Northside ISD made saving energy and resources a top priority.
The District's successful Energy Management Program, established 16 years ago, has been hailed as one of the state's top innovative initiatives.
This past school year, the Energy Management Program was selected as one of 12 "wildly successful" initiatives in the state to be featured in Texas School Business magazine's first annual "Bragging Rights" issue.
In addition, Northside received the Outstanding Government Organization Award at the 2007 Clean Air through Energy Efficiency Conference.
And just this month, Stevens science teacher Sherie Gee and recently retired energy manager Frank Thomas, were honored by the San Antonio Water System for their commitment to water conservation and protection.
Northside's Energy Management Department operates on several fronts, but one of its most impressive enterprises is an energy management system that enables the District to control outdoor lighting, heating, and air-conditioning via computer at 100-plus NISD facilities. The District conserves energy by managing heating, ventilation, and cooling systems daily and on holidays, weekends, and after hours.
Northside ISD is one of the largest school districts in the country that operates a wide area network system like this.
The numerous efforts of the Energy Management Department save the District more than $1 million each year in utility costs.
The Energy Management Department has implemented several other energy-saving measures:
- Marshall High School has been retrofitted with $250,000 worth of energy-efficient lighting, courtesy of CPS Energy, as a part of a pilot project between the District and CPS. The lighting is expected to reduce the school's energy costs by 30 to 50 percent. The program will be expanded to other schools in Northside and San Antonio.
- NISD also played a leadership role in the development of a pilot program with the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) to replace school toilets with low-flow toilets. The toilets were replaced for free by SAWS and have saved the District $200,000 annually on its water bill. The program since has been expanded to other school districts in the SAWS service area.
- The District's energy managers review electric bills monthly to catch errors that commonly occur. Sometimes, they work overnight to catch energy-wasting practices at schools and facilities after hours.
- Energy Management saves more than just water and electricity. The department collaborated with Technology Services Department to develop a unique, online program for scheduling the 6,000-plus events that take place at district facilities after-hours every year. The program completely eliminates the use of paper in the scheduling process, and allows for scheduling multiple events at one location, accounting for a large portion of the energy dollars saved by NISD annually.
And energy-saving practices are in the works throughout the District:
- Almost half of Northside's bus fleet operates on propane fuel, which is much more environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient than diesel fuel. Northside is only one of four districts in the state to make a commitment to propane-fueled buses.
- When the Maintenance Department trims trees, the branches are turned into mulch for use in landscaping beds at various campuses and facilities. Vehicle fluids and batteries are recycled, and cleaning products are stored in large dispensing systems to cut down on container use.
- Every effort is made to replant larger, older trees that need to be cleared for new schools.
Superintendent John Folks said it's important for the District to be a good role model for the students and community by being a good steward of natural resources.
"We are continually evaluating our energy consumption to protect both the environment and taxpayer dollars," Folks said.
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