Monroe County Funds School Improvements with $6.2 Million in Energy and Operational Savings

New, energy-efficient technologies will generate savings to help pay for school improvements and enhance student learning environments

MONROEVILLE, Ala. – Monroe County Schools today announced it has begun work on a district-wide infrastructure improvement and modernization project at its nine schools and the central office that will generate $6.2 million in energy and operational savings.

The district partnered with energy and sustainability expert Schneider Electric to implement new technologies in its schools that will provide a first-class learning environment for students in Monroe County, Alabama.

“Monroe County Board of Education is dedicated to providing our students with the best learning environment. Our partnership with Schneider Electric will allow us to reach our academic goals in an environment that lets students maximize their full potential,” said Mr. Greg Shehan, Superintendent, Monroe County School System.

“Developing a capital improvement project that will upgrade our facilities at all of our schools is very exciting. We are anticipating positive impacts on our students, faculty and staff at all of our schools and are proud to call Schneider Electric our partner in utilizing the latest technologies available to provide the best learning experience for our students.”

Monroe County Schools had a vision to enhance its facilities, but faced a number of challenges due to its dated technologies and aging infrastructure. To help the district reach its goal, Schneider Electric will upgrade the buildings with new technologies to dramatically improve the learning environment for students, and significantly cut energy usage and operational costs.

The project will reduce the district’s annual utility budget by 32 percent.

The modernization project is being funded by an energy savings performance contract (ESPC), where utility and operational savings are used to fund the renovations with no burden on local taxpayers. Savings will come from a wide variety of energy efficiency measures including:

• District-wide interior and exterior LED lighting upgrades
• Gymnasium LED lighting upgrades
• Occupancy sensors to turn off lights when rooms are vacant, significantly reducing energy use
• Installation of a district-wide building automation system to automate HVAC operations and increase visibility into energymanagement
• Upgrading aging heating and cooling systems
• Building envelop upgrades to better seal facilities and reduce draftiness
• Water conservation upgrades

Construction will begin later this month and will be nearly complete in time for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

This project builds on Schneider Electric’s expertise in advancing school district’s goals with energy efficiency solutions in Alabama. Over the past few years, Schneider Electric has partnered with several nearby districts including Geneva County Schools, Clarke County Schools, Crenshaw County Schools and Henry County Schools to modernize their educational environments without burdening their budget or borrowing capacity.

Across the state of Alabama, Schneider Electric has implemented over $169 million in infrastructure improvement projects and helped public entities secure more than $37 million in energy-related grants, rebates and funding in the past 10 years.

Over the past 23 years, Schneider Electric has successfully implemented more than 660 ESPC projects across the nation, saving its clients $1.7 billion. This project delivery method helps publicly funded entities make capital improvements over longer payback periods and offers many long-term benefits including improved facility efficiency, occupant comfort, financial management and environmental protection.