Schools undergoing energy audit

In an effort to save money and create more energy-efficient buildings, Schneider Electric is performing an energy audit on all Vestavia Hills City Schools facilities, with the exception of the new Pizitz Middle School campus.

Superintendent Todd Freeman said the audit will provide a comprehensive, detailed audit of energy use, and Schneider, an international company with a location in Homewood, will recommend projects for the school to implement that will save energy.

“The idea is you develop projects that save money to do more projects,” Freeman said.

Those projects could mean mechanical upgrades, capital projects, water and lighting projects and others, Freeman said. Pizitz is not being audited because it just opened this year.

Energy projects could be part of the system’s long-term capital needs, Freeman said. To his knowledge, this is the first time an energy audit has been performed for the system, he said.

Schneider is examining historical uses, developing trends and determining what the schools could do if they chose to replace equipment or make other changes.

Freeman said the savings are “guaranteed savings,” meaning Schneider uses annual analysis and other measures to ensure the projected savings are accurate, and Schneider is responsible for making sure the savings occur.

In addition to saving the district money, Freeman said it promotes a healthier environment and creates more efficient equipment, such as LED lighting or improved ventilation systems.

“There’s an inherent benefit to healthy buildings,” Freeman said.

While Freeman has seen general numbers, he said specific estimates on savings are not yet available.

The audit began in the spring, though it was paused for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Freeman said. He anticipates it being finished in early 2021.