Northside ISD’s energy management program has been selected as one of 12 innovative initiatives in the state to be featured in Texas School Business magazine’s first annual “Bragging Rights” issue.
The special issue will be distributed Dec. 1 to more than 10,000 readers with a vested interest in Texas public education.
Northside ISD is one of the largest school districts in the country that operates a wide area network energy management system. The system 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.
“We are continually evaluating our energy consumption to protect both the environment and taxpayer dollars,” Superintendent John Folks said, noting NISD now posts its utility costs online on the District’s web site. “It’s a great honor for our District to be recognized by Texas School Business.”
Northside’s energy management program, led by Bruce Dschuden and Frank Thomas, includes several other “green” initiatives. For example, NISD 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. And the energy management department helped to develop a unique, on-line program for scheduling the 6,000-plus events that occur at district facilities after-hours every year. The program completely eliminates the use of paper in the scheduling process.
On average, the Energy Management Department saves Northside ISD more than $1 million each year.
“Northside ISD took the initiative to conserve energy long before the state mandated school districts to reduce their electricity usage by 5 percent; this district is ahead of the curve in running a sustainable, environmentally-friendly operation,” says Texas School Business Editor Mary Gordon Spence. “We’re proud to brag about Northside ISD in our first annual special issue.”
