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Rothsay school on track to beat energy challenge
Published 10:59am Thursday, April 21, 2011“We’ve set the bar and, with the help of Otter Tail Power Company, we will keep the energy savings going,” said Rothsay Dean of Students/Principal Ehren Zimmerman Tuesday evening. The community, including the school system, celebrated as Otter Tail Power announced preliminary energy savings as part of the Community Energy Challenge.
From early 2009 through early 2011, Rothsay achieved metered kilowatt-hour savings of approximately three percent. When all technology improvements and behavioral change initiatives have been in place for a full year, and when results are adjusted for changes in weather and normally occurring growth, Rothsay is on track to save more than 19 percent.
“The Community Energy Challenge has been an excellent program that has brought a new sense of awareness regarding energy use throughout the community,” said Zimmerman. “It has brought a new approach to hands-on learning for our faculty, staff and students. Now it’s our turn to pay it forward and keep the savings going.”
He said that Rothsay Public School is committed to continuing its leadership role in this challenge.
The goals of these challenges are based on sustained savings over a five-year period. Pending regulatory review and approval, that means that Rothsay and the U of M campus at Crookston are on track to surpass their energy-savings goals.
“We launched these challenges with a call to imagine all of the residents of a small rural community and all the students, faculty, and staff of a college campus working together to reduce the electricity use of their entire town and campus each by 10 to 15 percent,” said Kim Pederson, Otter Tail Power Company Manager, Market Planning.
The community of Rothsay achieved more than half of its cumulative savings from behavioral changes on the part of Rothsay Public School, homeowners and businesses. Otter Tail Power Company also granted almost $117,000 in rebates for energy-efficient lighting and technology improvements.
Tags: Otter Tail Power, Rothsay
