Facilities Green Initiatives
Four school buildings within the Kimberly Area School District have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR® certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. The buildings receiving this exemplary status are: Kimberly High School, J.R. Gerritts Middle School, Mapleview Intermediate School and the Woodland Schools (Elementary and Intermediate).
To obtain the ENERGY STAR certifications, the Kimberly Area School District took the following actions:
All of the certified buildings include:
- High-efficient glazing in exterior classroom windows to reduce energy loss.
- Programmable HVAC to reduce nonoperational heat start-up (winter) and cooling (summer) which reduces the overall operational cost as it relates to energy consumption.
- During the past 15 years, the HVAC systems were either replaced or renovated to help with overall energy savings and operations.
- Light calculations, a detailed process for studying, adjusting and upgrading lighting to minimize energy usage, resulted in either meeting or exceeding light calculations for operations.
- Block scheduling at Kimberly High School allows for a system where non-essential lighting in hallways/corridors is shut off to use minimal light between class times.
- At J.R. Gerritts Middle School, cognitive classroom renovations allowed for the highest energy efficient lights (LED) to help reduce overall energy consumption.
- Mapleview Intermediate School has occupancy sensors to turn on lights when the classrooms or large gathering spaces are occupied. This helps reduce non-essential lighting when not in occupied mode.
- The Woodland Schools have daylight sensors that automatically shut off lights that face windows that have direct sunlight, which in turn reduces energy consumption.
“The Kimberly Area School District is pleased to accept the EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Joe Harvey, Director of Facilities Management and Safety. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs. These certifications show the community the innovative measures we take to be good stewards of their tax dollars.”