WOODLAND PARK, Colo., Dec. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Woodland Park School District Re-2 (WPSD) announced at its last Board of Education meeting of 2015 that it completed the first year of a successful energy efficiency program with OpTerra Energy Services. The program is aligned with the District's broader vision for improving the learning environment while promoting fiscal stewardship. WPSD is set to save nearly $4MM in energy savings as a result of energy efficiency upgrades.
Building Progress with Performance Contracting
Starting in late 2013, WPSD collaborated with a Colorado-based team of engineers from OpTerra to develop an approach to improve energy performance and enhance district facilities for students and staff. The heart of the development process was centered on leveraging Colorado's performance contracting mechanisms to offset the upfront cost of any upgrades. The project scope addressed over $2MM of upgrades and modernization of district facilities. These will be repaid through the energy savings achieved through energy efficiency and value engineering, resulting in a project requiring no capital outlay by the district.
At the December 9th Board meeting, the OpTerra team presented project close-out details on the work done across the District's campuses and administrative sites. Improvements across WPSD included modernized facility control in District heating and ventilation systems, interior and exterior lighting, and installation and recommissioning of building automation systems.
During their presentation, OpTerra detailed how the team was able to complete the original project scope under budget, and was therefore able to upgrade auditorium lighting, retrofit a walk-in cooler at Summit Elementary, and replace the high school's domestic hot water system with no additional project funding. By renegotiating the District's natural gas transport contract and implementing water efficiency measures, OpTerra also helped the District reduce resource consumption as well as associated operational costs.
Achieving District Objectives
As the local OpTerra team highlighted during the Board meeting, the Woodland Park project was designed to help achieve a number of objectives set by WPSD, including:
Through this successful partnership, WPSD implemented campus upgrades with assured project lifetime savings of almost $4 million. The project saves 1.2 MM kWh of electricity and 1.7 MM gallons of water annually. By utilizing performance contracting opportunities in Colorado, WPSD was able to complete the project with no necessary upfront costs or cash output to start achieving savings.
Director of Business Services Brian Gustafson shared, "We are so pleased with the work OpTerra has done for our school district. Their team worked tirelessly to collaborate with our team on site and a viable program was designed, developed and completed on time and under budget." With increased efficiency and life expectancy of district assets, WPSD is equipped to continue serving students and staff with an improved learning environment for years to come.
About WPSD Re-2:
Woodland Park School District includes the cities of Divide, Florissant, and Woodland Park. Offering preschool through grade 12, WPSD is made up of five schools: three elementary schools (Columbine, Gateway, and Summit), Woodland Park Middle School, and Woodland Park High School. With students competing every year at the state and national levels in sports, academic competitions, and other activities, WPSD is large enough to offer comprehensive programs at all levels yet small enough for the personal attention and comforts of a caring community. For more information about Woodland Park School District, visit www.wpsdk12.org.
About OpTerra Energy Services:
OpTerra Energy Services is a national energy company that partners with school districts, cities, counties, and commercial and industrial firms to implement comprehensive sustainability solutions that save money, generate revenue, improve assets, and protect the environment. Learn more at www.opterraenergy.com, or contact Lani Wild, Communications Manager, at 415-735-9080.
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SOURCE OpTerra Energy Services
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