System-wide energy savings a winning AVRSB project

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register



The Annapolis Valley Regional School Board is an energy saver.

The board has been recognized by Natural Resources Canada’s (NRC) Office of Energy Efficiency for its efforts to conserve energy, one of 11 organizations across Canada - and one of just two organizations in the Maritime provinces - which undertook energy-saving projects and achieved outstanding results without financial incentive.

For several years, the AVRSB has been taking part in the OEE’s Energuide for Existing Buildings program, formerly known as the Energy Innovators Initiative. The program encourages institutional and commercial organizations to reduce their energy consumption.

David Floyd, co-ordinator of property services for the school board, says the award acknowledges the board’s comprehensive, multi-year fluorescent light retrofit project.

“Over the last number of years, we have cut and controlled our energy output through this system-wide project.”

He adds the board developed a priority list of schools that required upgrades to lighting and, from there, made a commitment to change all T12 fluorescent bulbs to T8, the new standard in energy efficient lighting.

As 95 per cent of the school board’s 43 schools use fluorescent bulbs, Floyd notes making a change to more energy efficient hardware “will, over the long term, make a significant impact on our energy consumption.” The board has also moved to replace all incandescent bulbs in schools with new efficient Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL), a mini version of full size fluorescents.

The project didn’t entail just changing bulbs.

Some electrical rewiring had to b done, as ballasts in light fixtures had to be changed to accommodate the newer bulbs.

The long-term project, still “a work in progress,” has involved board staff and student apprentices. Floyd says the effort, being done on a school-by-school basis, sets an example for other institutional organizations and for students across the school board.

“We want to encourage our young people to be more energy aware and, if we are going to talk the talk, then we had better be prepared to walk to the walk.”