Resource Conservation Program
Summary Report
Prepared By
Chris Bruno Resource Conservation Manager
December 2015
Issaquah School District
Resource Conservation Program Summary
The Resource Conservation Program began in September 2000 for management of energy/water usage, garbage reduction, commingled recycling and compostable recycling. The aim of the program is to reduce utility costs and consumption of resources but to meet and sustain those goals, continuous monitoring and education are required. Below are the year’s highlights compared with historical data. Detailed analyses are presented for each category.
Combined Energy (MBtu) Usage of 126,903 about 7% decrease from the previous year Compared to the base year’s usage of 132,488, about 4% decrease
Natural Gas (Therms) Usage of 451,243 about 16% decrease from the previous year Compared to the base year’s usage of 442,969, about 2% increase
Electricity (kWh) Usage of 23,950,484, about 2% decrease from the previous year Compared to the base year’s usage of 25,754,968, about 7% decrease
Water—Domestic (gallons) Usage of 15,152,236, about 8% increase from the previous year Compared to the base year’s usage of 21,475,828, about 29% decrease
Water—Irrigation (gallons) Usage of 17,971,448, about 77% increase from the previous year Compared to the base year’s usage of 12,737,682, about 41% increase
. Garbage (cost only) Cost of $216,142, about 6% increase from the previous year Compared to the base year’s cost of $151,233, about 43% increase
. Comingled and Compost Recycling (cost only) Cost of $70,079, about 12% increase from the previous year Compared to the base year’s cost of $30,713, about 128% increase
Normalizing Factors
. Buildings and Portable Classrooms size (square feet) 2014/2015 district size is 2,471,519 square feet, a 5% increase from the previous year Compared to the base year size 1,819,332, about 34% increase
. Weather (degree days) Puget Sound Energy provides weather normalization data in the form of heating degree days (HDD) and cooling degree days (CDD). These data eliminate the year-to-year variability caused by weather.
Renewable Energy Programs The Issaquah School District received grants from Puget Sound Energy to install photovoltaic panels at two of our schools. These programs have education components linked to them. Each system has a computer that displays real time and historical energy generation data in the school. These solar systems are also linked by the internet to other Puget Sound Energy grant solar and wind generation systems. Students can collect data from other generation sites for educational research and reports.
Grand Ridge A 2.4 KW wind turbine produced 494 kWh last year generating $74.10 of revenue for Elementary Grand Ridge and is located near the play field on a 35-foot tower. A 5.06 KW Solar Electric Photovoltaic system produced 5,730 kWh last year generating $859.50 of revenue. This system is mounted to the roof above the cafeteria.
Liberty High This solar photovoltaic 2.24 KW tracking panels system produced 2,970 kWh generating School $445.50 of revenue for Liberty. This system is mounted on a pole at the NE corner of campus. The panels are mounted on a tracking mechanism that keeps the solar panels facing directly at the sun for maximum energy generation throughout the day. An identical Puget Sound Energy solar panel system is mounted to the roof at Hazen High School few miles away that provides comparison data for a permanently mounted system and Liberty’s tracking system. Students find that Liberty’s tracking system generates about 35% more energy than a fixed system.
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The district’s annual utility costs for the last four years are as follows:
Utility 2014 to 2015 2013 to 2014 2012 to 2013 2011 to 2012 Electricity $2,343,209 $2,367,140 $2,243,054 $2,375,202 Natural Gas $457,061 $485,030 $466,341 $565,897 Water (domestic) $157,485 $145,978 $137,996 $125,688 Water (Irrigation) $178,759 $123,137 $147,483 $118,854 Water (sewer) $174,460 $160,533 $120,038 $110,473 Water (storm water) $28,126 $26,205 $24,723 $23,626 Garbage $216,142 $203,219 $199,095 $171,413 Recycling (comingled) $26,996 $22,341 $68,794 $61,517 Recycling (compost) $40,038 $36,061 $34,782 $34,361 Recycling (yard waste) $3.045 $4,010 $3,794 $2,548 Total $3,625,320 $3,573,654 $3,446,100 $3,589,579
The pie chart shows cost percentages of the four main categories of electricity, natural gas, water, and solid waste. Percentages vary year to year but solid waste is always the smallest and electricity is always the biggest. Details for this year are listed below:
. Natural Gas: $457,061
. Electricity: $2,343,209 Includes usage, demand, and reactive charges
. Water: $538,830 Includes domestic, irrigation, sewer, and storm water charges
. Solid Waste: $286,221 Includes garbage, comingled recycling, compost recycling, and yard waste recycling charges
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Combined Energy (MBtu)
British Thermal Units (Btu) are used to combine electricity and natural gas usage into a single metric. One Btu is defined as: the amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. To visualize, 1 pint of water weighs about a pound and a 4-inch wooden match, when burned completely, releases about 1 Btu of energy. The district measures energy in millions of Btus, hence the notation “MBtu.”
The top graph shows monthly energy usage since 2000, with an added trend line. The trend has been stable for the past 5 years and will remain steady with good building management and investment in efficient technology.
The bottom graph shows usage on an 1-year cycle with each line representing a different school year. The most recent is in black and previous years are colored in groups of five, simply to show general trends. We see that usage naturally rises throughout the years as new schools are constructed but this mild winter caused near historic lows, especially in February and March. The warm winter was followed by a hot summer, however, and thus more electricity was required to keep temperatures bearable during July and August. 3
Natural Gas (Therms)
This past year had the lowest gas usage since 2009/2010, due mostly to the mild winter. Other helping factors in general are standardized temperature settings and HVAC occupancy scheduling. Buildings are only climate controlled when occupied, and all occupied spaces heat to at least 68°F but cool as low as 55°F when vacant. ISD is the only district in the region with such a robust program and our efforts are reflected in the gas bill.
The top graph shows monthly energy usage since 2000, with an added trend line. Weather can cause year-to- year fluctuations but the overall trend is stable despite a growing district. Without a RCM program we would see the trend line increase linearly
The bottom graph shows usage on an 1-year cycle with each line representing a different school year. The most recent is in black and previous years are colored in groups of five, simply to show general trends. Only November had higher than normal usage and the rest of the months had about 5-year record lows. February usage in particular was about 47,300 therms, a 10 year historic low.
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Electricity (kWh)
The capital projects department completed a lighting upgrade project for exterior wall lights, parking lot lights, multipurpose and cafeteria rooms, and gymnasiums throughout the district. They installed efficient fixtures and occupancy sensors that will keep usage low for years to come.
The top graph shows monthly energy usage since 2000, with an added trend line. Good use of technology helps keep growth in check. For example, all computers are remotely shut down each night around 6 p.m., and most light switches are controlled by occupancy sensors.
The bottom graph shows usage on an 1-year cycle with each line representing a different school year. The most recent is in black and previous years are colored in groups of five, simply to show general trends. Dramaticly low usage is apparent in January, February, and March but a mich higher usage occurred in July. This is due to the mechanical cooling load required by this summer’s hot weather.
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Domestic Water
Domestic waster is measured in centum cubic feet (CCF), with 1 CCF equaling about 750 gallons. Rate increases have caused costs to rise even though consumption remains low.
The top graph shows yearly usage totals in blue (scale on left side) along with yearly costs in red (scale on right side). Higher water rates are causing costs to increase. Yearly usage is highly variable but has stayed around 20,000 CCF or less.
The bottom graph shows usage on an 1-year cycle with each line representing a different school year. The most recent is in black and previous years are colored in groups of five, simply to show general trends. Automatic flushing urinals caused high usage throughout the first 2 years of the program, but were fixed for the 2002/2003 year, and the spike for 2005/2006 was caused by extremely high usage during May and June. In general though, we see a pattern throughout each year as, naturally, less water is used in the months that have winter and spring breaks.
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Irrigation Water
Irrigation costs have also increased although the cost trend is not as apparent as domestic water. Irrigation usage is much more variable year to year, depending on rainfall levels during the summer.
The top graph shows yearly usage totals in blue (scale on left side) along with yearly costs in red (scale on right side). Higher water rates are causing costs to increase but summer rainfall levels are mostly what causes the year-to-year fluctuations.
The bottom graph clearly shows that most irrigation occurs during the summer. 40% to 50% of usage each year occurs in July while only 0.5% to 4% occurs in the four months from December through March. This year’s spring/summer usage is abnormally high, possibly due to billing errors or broken sprinklers. The dry summer partly explains the high usage. Smart irrigation controllers adjust water levels based on humidity, air temperature, and evapotranspiration rates. Note: some irrigation accounts only bill once every two months, so a few sites are still missing data for August.
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Garbage and Recycling
The district has three solid waste haulers that provide garbage and comingled recycling service. They are: Waste Management for Newcastle Elementary Recology CleanScapes for all sites within the Issaquah City Limits Republic Services for all other sites Cedar Grove is the district’s provider for all compost recycling collection.
The above graph compares yearly garbage and recycling costs and the financial benefits of recycling are obvious. Both comingled and compostable recycling costs are included in the red line.
In 2005, the District participated in the Green School Program sponsored by King County that supplied over $5,000 worth of recycling containers for classroom and cafeteria recycling. The County also provided recycling experts to help design and promote recycling programs for each of schools in the district. As a result, all of our schools have dramatically increased the recycling of cans, bottles, paper products and milk cartons significantly reducing the district’s solid waste stream reducing our garbage costs.
In 2007, the District piloted a food scrap composting program, again supported by King County, which significantly reduced garbage volumes and increased recycling. A dramatic example of how composting increased overall recycling is Issaquah Middle School that reduced garbage volumes from 24 cubic yards per week to 8 cubic yards per week, a decrease of 66%. Currently, all schools recycle their food waste and all have reduced their garbage volumes. Implementing school recycling involved the entire student body, staff and sometimes many parents. Because of this involvement, the overall quality of all recycling improved and the recycling rate increased dramatically to 48% district wide. Since the initial implementation the district recycling rate has increased to about 50%.
Cost per Student
During 2014/2015 there were about 18,000 students. Below are costs per student, rounded, for each of the Issaquah School District utilities. 1. Electricity Costs $ 118 2. Natural Gas $ 21 3. Water $ 9 4. Irrigation $ 7 5. Sewer $ 10 6. Garbage $ 12 7. Storm Water ** $ 1 ($ 22/student at CR and SS.) 8. Recycling $ 4 9. Composting $ 2 10. Yard Waste $ 0.17 11. Total Cost/Student $ 186
** The City of Bellevue does not grant storm water cost wavers to school districts that provide surface water education in the science curriculum. All other water districts do provide such a waiver, hence only the schools in Bellevue (Cougar Ridge and Sunset) have storm water fees.
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Avoided Cost for Utilities
Avoided cost calculations provide a way of comparing utility costs with a Resource Conservation Program (RCM) versus utility costs without a RCM program. This assumes that if the Issaquah School District chose not to implement a RCM program that the management of district utilities during the 2000/2001 school year would most likely continue unchanged year after year. Avoided cost calculations are computed using a program called Utility Manager that is supported by Puget Sound Energy. Calculations account for changes of electrical rates, weather and rate changes of district utilities. The avoided costs, or the amount of money that the district did not need to spend on electricity, for natural gas, water, irrigated water, garbage, recycling and composting from the 2001/2002 school year through the 2014/2015 school year was approximately $8,400,000.
Recycling/Conservation Awards
Waste Free Wednesday is a district initiative to eliminate waste from school cafeterias. On Earth Day, 19 schools participated and 421 pounds of waste were produced by about 15,000 students and staff, an average of only ½ ounce per person. Apollo was the best school overall, with an average of only 0.05 ounces of waste per person. Issaquah Middle was the best middle school, with a per-person average of 0.14 ounces Issaquah High was the best high school, with a per-person average of 0.92 ounces
Earth Hero Awards are given to schools, teachers, staff and students for outstanding work in the areas of recycling, waste reduction, energy and water conservation, and environmental education. 2001 - Maywood Middle School (Seth Adams, Alice Finch, Jacquie Hyler, Tara Nessen, Dawn Robinson, Bob Ruud, Mike Sullivan, Holly Wagner) 2003 - Beaver Lake Middle School (Matt Gelber) 2005 - Beaver Lake Middle School (Doug Emery), Discovery Elementary (Tasha Kiemel) Issaquah Valley Elementary (Dusty Duke, Susan Meyer) 2006 - Newcastle Elementary (Dave Holbrook) 2007 - Maywood Middle School (Meggan Atkins), Endeavour Elementary (Gabrielle Herring, Diane Parham, Leslie Smith) Apollo Elementary, Sunny Hills Elementary 2008 - Discovery Elementary (Tasha Kirby, Sue McNamara) Clark (Science-Technology Magnet Program) 2009 - Challenger Elementary (Hank Klein, Michael Getty), Issaquah Middle School 2010 - Pine Lake Middle School (Meagan Elliot), Cascade Ridge Elementary Maywood Middle School, Pine Lake Middle School 2011 - Issaquah Middle School (Olga Haider, Michelle Picard), Grand Ridge Elementary Issaquah High School (Kate Brunette), Creekside Elementary (David Holbrook) 2012 - Grand Ridge Elementary (Renee de Tolla, Ashley Hirst), Issaquah Valley Elementary School, Newcastle Elementary School 2013 - Apollo Elementary (Susan Mundell, Andrew Wolf) Creekside Elementary (Robin Earl, David Holbrook, Judy Bowlby) Creekside Elementary (Judy Bowlby), Issaquah Middle School (Corrine DeRosa) Sunset Elementary (Wayne Hamasaki, Elizabeth Johnson) 2014 - Skyline High School (Wes Buchanan), Creekside Elementary, Challenenger Elementary Sunny Hills Elementary – Kathy Dunn, Cody Johansen, Cami Przyblyski, Jane Ulrich 2015 - Issaquah School District (district level award for our waste reduction and recycling efforts)
King County Green Schools Program “Certificate of Recognition” was awarded to the Issaquah School District for an outstanding Resource Conservation Program. 2007 “Level One Green School District” was awarded for maintaining a very successful district waste reduction and recycling program. 2012 “Level Two Green School District” awarded for maintaining a successful district wide energy conservation program. 2013 2015 Level Two recognition to Beaver Lake Middle and Discovery Elementary 2015 Level Three recognition to Apollo Elementary, Briarwood Elementary, Issaquah High, and Sunny Hills Elementary 2015 Level Four recognition to Creekside Elementary, Endeavour Elementary, Grand Ridge Elementary, Issaquah Middle, Newcastle Elementary, Pine Lake Middle, and Sunset Elementary.
Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction – Awarded by King County Solid Waste Division Issaquah School District - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Green Globe Award Recognition for outstanding achievement by the Issaquah School District for environmental stewardship, the best of the best school conservation programs in King County. 2009.
Washington State Green Leader Schools – Recognition given by OSPI in 2012 Creekside Elementary School, Pillar 1: Environmental Impact and Energy Efficiency Issaquah Middle School, Pillar 1: Environmental Impact and Energy Efficiency
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