Schools undergo energy, cost savings project

Solar panels affixed to the roof of the Ocean Township Intermediate School as part of a district-wide effort to reduce energy costs. OCEAN TOWNSHIP — The Township Board of Education (BOE) has completed work on a major energy savings project that district officials' hope will save taxpayers money in years to come.

Completed at the beginning of the school year, the BOE's energy savings project included the implementation of a series of improvements to each of the township's five schools that will help reduce the district's overall energy consumption.

Paid for through a $6.1 million dollar bond that was approved by taxpayers through a vote in 2007, the improvements called for the upgrade, replacement and installation of new lighting and ceiling tiles, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and controls, water conservation equipment, windows and solar panels.

"The projects will pay for themselves in six to seven years," Ocean Township BOE Business Administrator Kenneth Jannarone said last week. "We are definitely seeing savings now. We just don't have them calculated yet."

At each of the district schools, the original lighting ballast and fixtures have been removed and replaced with energy efficient lighting fixtures. As a result of the new lighting, the district now qualifies for special energy efficiency rebates from the Board of Public Utilities.

The upgrade to the lighting equipment is also estimated to reduce electrical lighting consumption by up to 30 percent.

The high efficiency of the equipment also means that the district had to install fewer fixtures to provide the same amount of lighting that the schools previously had, which will result in future savings to the maintenance costs.

Township schools also saw the installation of direct digital control (DDC) systems in order to replace their original pneumatic controls. These automated control systems will maximize energy efficiency and will control room temperatures, boilers, air handlers, dampers and fresh air exchange, including humidity and alarm sensors.

Programmable settings will control equipment for efficient operation when buildings are unoccupied to further reduce energy costs.

Water conservation measures have also been implemented, including the replacement of bathroom faucet valves that allow for more efficient water flow. New water conservation toilets have also been installed and new flush valves have been added to urinals throughout schools in the district.

BOE officials hope the new high efficiency toilets will only use 1.6 gallon per flush as opposed to the 3 gallons per flush used by the old toilets.

With the township's schools housing some 4,400 students, the new water conservation measures should result in a considerable cost savings, school officials said.

In addition to district-wide improvements, each of the township's schools also underwent individual improvements and upgrades that are geared toward conserving energy, such as the installation of a 25 Kilowatt Solar Panel system at the township's Intermediate School.

The panels are expected to reduce the electric meter usage at the school for kilowatts generated by the system. Additionally, the solar panel system may be able to generate credits granted for clean energy and can be sold on the open market to produce an alternate revenue source for the school district.

The BOE will look into the possibility of adding additional solar panels to other district buildings in the future in order to further improve its energy consumption, according to Jannarone.

Other improvements incorporated in the district-wide project include the replacement of five chillers and the restoration of all ventilation units at the Intermediate School. The upgrades are expected to result in a significant improvement to the efficiency of the schools air exchange system.

The energy savings project also called for new entrances to be constructed at the Wayside Elementary School and Intermediate School, which will result in increased energy savings and security.

According to Jannarone, a significant amount of work also went into replacing a large amount of the district's mechanical systems, some of which were over 50- years-old.

"A lot of our mechanical systems were from the 1970s and 1960s," Jannarone said.

The Ocean Township Elementary School also had two of its original boilers replaced with new high efficiency units. The new boilers will yield seasonal efficiencies as high as 95 percent and will minimize the total natural gas required to operate the buildings heating system.

For more information about the school improvements, contact the BOE at 732- 531-5600.