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Schools Account for Lion's Share of County Energy
One parent is doing her best to help others in "greening our schools," the topic of the recent meeting of the School Support Council for Fauquier County Public Schools.
Judy Olsen, chairwoman for the SSC, has initiated many efforts to reduce waste at Brumfield Elementary, where her child attends. But her focus goes beyond the one school, as she encourages others to manage resources for energy efficiency.
Michael Rainger is also concerned with energy consumption, especially when it comes to the schools.
He claims that the annual cost of electrical power for the county is $2.5 million. Eighty percent of the county's electrical costs come from the schools.
The two oldest high schools in the county use the most energy, with Marshall Middle School and Coleman Elementary following.
According to a 2006 report of the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Virginia energy-efficiency policies ranked 38 out of 50 states and Washington, D.C.
The Virginia Energy Purchasing Governmental Association (VEPGA) has said that "government facilities can attain significant energy and money savings (in the range of 10 to 20 percent) with energy-efficiency programs."
Rainger has completed what he characterizes as "an extremely detailed analysis of all the county buildings and all the schools."
The energy advocate plans to meet with school principals one-on-one to discuss ways to promote energy efficiency.
Employing various low-cost solutions for electrical energy conservation could generate a savings of between $100,000 and $300,000 in the school budget, according to Rainger.
"I don't know that the savings are that great," said Dr. Jonathan Lewis, superintendent of Fauquier County Public Schools, "but I do believe there are savings to be had over time in the area of energy.
"It's not just a single thing. It is such things as changing behaviors and retrofitting systems."
Lewis said the school district is organizing a committee, headed by Warren Darrel, construction manager, and Greg Livesay, facilities manager. They will devise a comprehensive energy plan to be part of the upcoming budget proposal presented to the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors.
"There are many opportunities for us to rethink what we're doing," said Lewis.
E-mail the reporter: afelts@timespapers.com.
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