Oregon School District - Case Study

Oregon School District Installs Energy-Saving Equipment in Local Schools

The North Santiam School District installed new equipment in local schools to reduce the use of energy and water. Old equipment was replaced with new, more efficient machinery.

A Hobart AM15T dishwasher was purchased to replace the 30-year-old Hobart 9T2 in the kitchen of one local school. The amount of racks washed per day was reduced by as many as 15 loads. The new dish-washer allows lunch trays to stand upright, allowing twice the amount of trays to be washed per load. Additionally, multiple sheet pans can now be washed at the same time instead of individually. The new machine uses a 13-kilowatt booster compared to the 15-kilowatt booster used by the previous machine.

The high school was the recipient of an energy-efficient freezer purchased by the foodservice department. The school district decided to spend the money on the freezer in order to reduce long-term energy costs. The new freezer also ensures food will remain at a safe temperature in the event of a freezer or electrical breakdown. The innovative design of the seamless, one-piece fiberglass construction enables the food to be held safely for up to three days if the power goes out.

In 2001 North Santiam School District implemented lighting retrofits on four of its five campuses. The final campus will be completed by the summer of 2008. The retrofits consisted of replacing old fluorescent T12 lamps and ballasts with new T8 models, metal-halide lighting with T5 lamps, and incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent lamps.

Additionally, three North Santiam schools received a new Directed Digital Control heating and cooling system. This new program contains a centralized computer program that monitors heating and cooling in every area of the school. The computerized program can be adjusted easily and has significantly reduced energy consumption.

By installing new equipment, the North Santiam School District has successfully reduced energy and water usage. The new dishwasher has decreased water usage by more than 1,200 gallons of water annually. Additionally, the electrical savings is more than $500. The return on investment for the Hobart AM15T dishwasher is 20 years, or the life expectancy of the equipment, which then pays for itself.

North Santiam School District spent more than $15,000 on a new freezer. The new freezer saves the district 10,036 kilowatts annually, which, over a 20-year time frame, is a savings of almost $22,000. The freezer has been a positive addition to the school district because of the ability to safely hold frozen foods for up to three days in the event of an electrical breakdown.

Finally, the installation of new lighting fixtures and the Directed Digital Control heating and cooling system was the most expensive equipment. The total investment by the school district was more than $1 million. However, the forecasted annual savings estimate was $67,000. The actual energy savings will be more than $92,000 annually. The return on investment will therefore occur after 13.16 years. By reducing a substantial amount of energy, more funds can be allocated to purchase more energy-efficient equipment.

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