The business manager for New Palestine Community Schools Sarah Gizzi says the district received $168,885 from Duke Energy in rebates after adding energy efficiency equipment during renovations at New Palestine High School.
NEW PALESTINE — Officials with the New Palestine Community Schools (NPCS) accepted a check from Duke Energy for $168,885 during the most recent school board meeting.
The funds were awarded to the school district because NPCS participates in the Duke Energy Smart Program and added new mechanical equipment at New Palestine High School (NPHS) in numerous places during its massive renovation project.
District business manager Sarah Gizzi said the new equipment is more energy efficient, which will result in energy savings now and for years to come.
Duke officials sent a check for $168,855 which was accepted by the board and deposited into the district’s Rainy Day Fund for future project use.
“Duke is our energy provider for the district,” Gizzi said. “We knew that our construction and renovation project at New Palestine High School would give us the opportunity to make our building more energy-efficient.”
Gizzi noted district officials were aware of Duke’s program that incentives energy efficiency, so they applied to be a part of the program and earn a financial award.
“We knew that there was an opportunity for a significant rebate through the program due to the size of our project and the number of areas that were being upgraded,” Gizzi said.
Once the NPHS building project was nearing completion, a team from Duke came out and did a thorough inspection that included the heating and cooling systems, roofing materials, windows, light fixtures, etc. Once they completed their inspection, they gave district officials the information about the building’s energy ratings on different parts of the project and awarded the district the money for making improvements in energy efficiency.
“The savings will continue to be reflected in our monthly bills because we chose to use energy-efficient items whenever possible,” Gizzi said.
Examples of the Energy Star-compliant and energy-saving items include energy-efficient boilers. The boilers are for heating the building and for hot water, which Gizzi noted will bring huge savings to the district.
They also have energy-efficient HVAC systems throughout the new construction, plus every outside light in the district is LED.
“All the kitchen equipment is LED and Energy Star compliant. This includes ovens, pass-through, freezers, etc.,” Gizzi said.
Variable stage switch gear in their main electric panels will also make the systems run more efficiently.
“We also chose simpler solutions like motion detection in areas that allow for light to be off when not in use,” Gizzi said. “We also choose energy-efficient insulation.”
