The topic of the day was
energy at last week’s Melrose Master Plan meeting, and ultimately “…the
ramification it has on budgets, public health and global climate.” While
utility and capital improvement costs don’t fall into the Melrose Public
Schools’ budget, energy use in schools ultimately impacts our students and
staff, since the more efficiently energy is used, the more city expenses are
lowered and school services are improved.
News you can use:
·
Of the top ten
energy consuming municipal buildings in FY15, school buildings take the top
eight spots. The high school and middle
school complex consumes almost 50% of total building energy in Melrose.
·
Between 2009
and 2016, school building energy use decreased by 3% while
o
adding
significant technology;
o
increasing
building use to accommodate before and after school programs; early-late
weekend use for sports, etc.; and vacation and summer programming; and
o
making dramatic
improvements to ventilation and fresh air exchange in all schools which benefits
occupants but requires much more energy.
·
Many energy
conservation measures have been completed in schools, often with Green
Community Grant and utility incentive funding
o
MHS white roof
and R30 insulation ($156K provided): 2011
o
Winthrop
School EMS & ventilation upgrades: 2012
o
Six elementary
schools: interior and exterior lighting upgrades ($233K provided): 2012
o
MHS science
wing renovation ($11K provided): 2013
o
MVMMS gym
light replacement ($12K provided): 2013
o
MHS HVAC
upgrade ($345K provided): 2014
o
All schools: classroom
lighting, LED parking lot lighting, insulation and air sealing, energy
controls, comprehensive heating and ventilation system fixes, IT and vending machine
controls ($315K provided): 2014
o
MHS Learning
Commons renovations ($26K provided): 2016
·
The solar
panels on top of the MHS and MVMMS roofs supply about 10% of the buildings’
energy.
·
DPW staffing
and their training and technology has evolved
o
Melrose now
employs a Building Systems Supervisor to manage the city’s increasingly sophisticated
HVAC systems (no more “set-it-and-forget-it”).
o
Building
temperatures can be managed by a DPW staff member from a device, making it unnecessary,
for example, to travel to school buildings in dangerous weather to turn down
the heat on snow days to save energy.
·
The concerted
focus on energy in the city led to employment of an Energy Efficiency Manager
in 2011, who has written grants and developed partnerships that have resulted
in funding deferred maintenance challenges that would otherwise remain stalled.
·
Future
challenges include managing increasing space (e.g. modular classrooms at Hoover
and Winthrop) and adapting to climate change.
·
Future
priorities include targeting the largest energy users (MHS, MVMMS, Lincoln, and
Roosevelt), including retrofitting lighting, replacing outdated energy
management controls at Lincoln, converting MHS cafeteria kitchen appliances to
energy efficiency models, etc.
Infrastructure isn’t
always headline-making or glamorous (and many of them we can’t even see), but
improvements can significantly affect the health, safety, and learning
environment for students. Thank you to the taxpayers, who through your tax
dollars invest in and support positive changes like these!
