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Carson City School District turns energy action into impact

October 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Carson City School District turns energy action into impact

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“We use more than a third less energy than an average school,” said Mark Korinek, director of operations services for the Carson City School District. “As a district, we recently reduced our Energy Use Intensity (EUI) from 46 to 41. The 46 EUI number last year, down from 49 in 2014, was really remarkable to begin with, but to see a decrease even from there is truly a testament to our retrofit project and McKinstry’s energy-awareness and behavioral change program called powerED.”

The powerED program engages students and staff across the district in energy, water and waste conservation efforts. The program promotes energy efficiency and how to eliminate waste within facilities, ultimately helping the district save money. Much of this effort is focused on demonstrating to students and staff how small changes—such as turning off lights, biking to school, recycling and composting, shutting off unused electronics and buying locally produced items—can make a difference in their lives every day.

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Filed Under: Better Buildings, Home Tagged With: Carson City, ENERGY STAR, K-12, Mountain Regions, Nevada, powerED, School District

Passion and creativity collide at Carson City School District

June 6, 2018 by 1 Comment

Passion and creativity collide at Carson City School District

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Two hundred students, parents, teachers and school administrators from Carson City School District (CCSD) gathered at the Nevada Governor’s Mansion on May 24 to celebrate students taking part in McKinstry’s powerED program and Project ReCharge, a STEM-focused energy and sustainability curriculum program led by Envirolution.

CCSD hired McKinstry in May 2016 to conduct a comprehensive facility audit in search of energy savings. Dozens of potential improvements were identified, kicking off a $6.1 million contract spanning LED lighting retrofits, water conservation measures, heat pump replacements, improved HVAC systems and more.

McKinstry introduced powerED to CCSD students in October 2017. The program augments the district’s sustainability and STEM education initiatives by engaging students, staff and faculty in energy, water and waste conservation efforts. Ten CCSD schools are participating.

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Filed Under: Better Buildings, Big Ideas, Home, Occupants & Operators Tagged With: Carson City, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Mountain Regions, Nevada, powerED, Sustainability

Performance contracting: A strategy to address water woes in the West

August 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Performance contracting: A strategy to address water woes in the West
DroughtPhotoWP

Photo by Anthony Quintano, via Flickr.

As raging wildfires, barren fields, and dried-up waterways continue to dominate the landscape of the American West, it’s abundantly clear that drought and water scarcity are critical issues that require immediate action.

While there’s no comprehensive solution to the current drought, organizations and individuals throughout the region are looking to use every possible strategy to mitigate the drought’s impacts.

McKinstry explored how using a simple yet innovative procurement mechanism—performance contracting—could quickly help address water conservation in the seven Colorado River Basin states (AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, UT, WY). What we found was that schools and public governments in those states could save big.

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Filed Under: Big Ideas, Home, Occupants & Operators, Technology Tagged With: Advanced Water Meters, Arizona, California, Colorado, Colorado River Basin, Drought, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Nevada, New Mexico, Performance Contracting, Utah, Water Conservation, Wyoming

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