FUHSD receives award for energy conservation

FALLBROOK - The staff at Fallbrook Union High School District (FUHSD) has achieved big savings with energy-efficient behavior – and now those good habits are earning national recognition.

FUHSD has achieved a 20 percent cost savings totaling $585,107 in 38 months, since forming a strategic alliance with Cenergistic, a national energy conservation company, which presented the organization with its Environmental Excellence Award on Jan. 13 at the district’s board of trustees meeting.

“Reaching this level of savings at this stage of the program is a significant achievement,” said Dr. William S. Spears, chairman and founder of Cenergistic. “Fallbrook Union High School District has done an excellent job of implementing Cenergistic’s organizational behavior-based approach to energy conservation and maintaining productive efforts at all levels of the organization. The administration and all staff members are to be commended for clearly fulfilling their commitment to being good stewards of the organization’s energy dollars and the environment.

“Strong support from everyone involved in the organization has created an atmosphere of cooperation that should continue to grow and ensure even greater success well into the future,” said Spears.

A primary benefit of the Cenergistic program is that all costs come out of the existing utility budget, with savings projected to more than pay for the program, as they have done for Fallbrook Union High School District. Additional savings can be redirected to other parts of the budget.

Cenergistic’s conservation experts – in natural gas and electricity, water and sewer, HVAC systems, energy management systems (EMS) and mechanical systems, behavior modification, communications, grounds care, data analysis, information systems management, organization development, construction management, human resources, utility rate structures, and many other areas of specialization that positively impact energy conservation – have worked closely with FUHSD energy specialist Darin Vey. He has been trained to analyze all energy use throughout the organization’s systems, and to ensure that energy is used as efficiently as possible, following Cenergistic’s energy management program.

Vey tracks energy consumption – including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil – using energy-accounting software. He compares current energy use to a baseline period and calculates the amount of energy that would have been used had conservation and management practices not been implemented. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, he can quickly identify and correct areas that need immediate attention.