Heating costs put schools into action

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, September 15, 2008

Deborah Wanek

In anticipation of rising energy costs, the Pelican Rapids School District went ahead this summer with plans to give the Viking Elementary School an energy efficient make-over.

The district followed recommendations by Energy Service Group — an independent energy management consultant company — to re-vamp certain aspects of the Viking Elementary School to reduce heating costs.

A heavy amount of insulation was installed, old windows were replaced with new energy efficient ones, vestibules were created to reduce the amount of heat leaving the building and all other doorways were secured to remove air leaks.

Superintendent Deb Wanek expects the district will save a pretty penny when it comes to heating costs at the elementary — and it’s all guaranteed.

“The Energy Savings Group will go in and monitor that and work with us to make sure we run as efficiently as possible,” Wanek said.

The district is expecting heating prices at the Pelican Rapids High School to increase, but is planning to reduce energy costs by closely monitoring areas where energy is wasted. Wanek said the heat will be turned down when the building is vacant and lights will be turned off.

“That will help,” Wanek said. “It won’t be big savings like the elementary, but we’ll do every little piece that we can to be efficient in running the building.”

A number of factors are helping the Fergus Falls District balance heating costs, including ground water heating systems at the elementary schools and the involvement in a purchasing pool for natural gas used to heat the High School.

These actions will help offset increased heating costs at Eisenhower, where sixth graders are located this year due to current construction at the Middle School. Eisenhower’s heating system relies on natural gas.

The Middle School remodeling project will also mean the building will see a decrease in heating costs.

The purchasing pool for natural gas used at the High School is beneficial for the district because it allows it to strike while the iron is hot — purchasing fuel in bulk when prices are favorable, said Fergus Falls District Business Manager Mark Masten.

The Underwood School District considered the rising prices when putting together their 2008-09 budget, increasing their anticipated heating amount by some 15 percent. Superintendent Gary Sletten says they’ll do their best to remain within their budget, but if heating prices exceed those that were expected, the district will look at other options.

“Maybe we’ll lower the heat a couple of degrees this winter,” Sletten said. “Maybe we’ll make sure that we keep the lights off as much as possible.”