LW School District receives state energy grant

January 21, 2010 4:23 pm

Reporter staff

Lake Washington School District is one of 59 districts in the state to receive funding for energy-related projects thanks to a grant program funded by the Washington State Legislature. Lake Washington will receive $375,000 for projects at seven schools that include upgrades to heating/ventilation equipment and controls, and lighting upgrades.

The seven schools include Eastlake High School, Evergreen Junior High, Inglewood Junior High, Lakeview Elementary School, Redmond High School, Redmond Junior High and Mark Twain Elementary School.

To qualify for the funds, districts were required to conduct audits of the school facilities to identify projects that could demonstrate guaranteed energy savings. The districts also had to show what local financial resources they had for the project, which in the case of Lake Washington come from the 2006 Capital Projects Levy. LWSD has already completed over $6 million in utility conservation projects funded through that levy. This grant helps the district extend those funds to more projects. Lake Washington’s share of the cost for the $1.34 million in projects is $665,000, about half the total.

A third source of money comes in the form of utility incentives, which are provided by utility companies to homes, schools and business for projects and purchases that reduce energy consumption. In Lake Washington’s case, about $300,000 is expected in incentives from Puget Sound Energy.

“We have been able to do quite a few utility conservation programs that will pay for themselves quickly using local capital levy dollars,” noted Forrest Miller, director of facilities. “This grant money makes it feasible to complete additional projects with longer payback periods.”

The annual savings expected after these projects are completed is $61,000 so the LWSD cost will be paid back in under 11 years.

Statewide, the combination of state grant funds, district funds and utility incentives will total about $43.3 million in construction projects in 23 counties. The projects will save an estimated $2.1 million in energy costs each year. In units of energy – primarily electricity and natural gas – the savings can be compared to the annual energy use in 2,700 average Washington homes.

This grant program is administered by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.