Case Study: Performance Contracting
Located in the heart of Kentucky, Henry County Public Schools span 310,000 square feet across five buildings and were home to aging systems in need of a modern makeover. CMTA was able to complete this project as our very first Guaranteed Energy Savings contract and provide positive cash flow to the school district.
The leadership, knowledge and experience CMTA brings to a project of this type is immeasurable. They provided great onsite leadership during the entire renovation project.
Due to the way Kentucky schools are funded, traditional means of funding for renovations are unavailable, leaving many rural school districts floundering with aging buildings and expensive systems. To help alleviate this burden, CMTA was happy to partner with the Henry County School District, located in rural north-central Kentucky, on a Guaranteed Energy Savings Renovation Contract for all five of their schools.
At both Henry County Middle and Eastern Elementary, we completed full HVAC renovations. Both schools received new, high-efficiency, 2-stage heat pumps and new geothermal wells. New dedicated ventilation systems with energy recovery were also installed to improve indoor air quality while reducing the energy load. CMTA improved the existing light fixtures to bring them up to code-required lighting levels, while exterior Metal Halide Wall Packs were replaced with LED counterparts. The entire lighting system was programmed to turn off at night when the parking lots are not in use.
Other improvements included low velocity, high volume ceiling fans in the Henry County High School’s gymnasium, updated exterior lighting systems at Henry County High, and new control and monitoring systems to allow staff to monitor energy usage in real time. Moreover, all five schools were connected to new, web-based monitoring software that were integrated into the existing controls and allowed for a bird’s-eye view of the district’s overall energy usage.
The project has had a positive effect on the environment. Before the renovation, both Henry County Middle School and Eastern Elementary School were poor energy performers. Carbon dioxide emissions went down, and energy reduction ranged from 11% at the high school to 69% at Eastern Elementary.
Using the performance contracting alternative, the Henry County School District was able to fund all these necessary improvements through energy savings guaranteed by CMTA, without relying on traditional funding. We’re thrilled to report that the energy savings from the project outpaced our anticipations. In 2014, actual savings were $32,316 higher than our savings guarantee, which had a positive impact on the district’s budgetary bottom line.
This project was a true success for the client, the students and the environment.
