Gainesville schools recognized for energy saving

GAINESVILLE - The Gainesville School System is getting some national recognition for its energy-saving efforts.

The school system has achieved a 34 percent cost savings totaling $928,011 in 25 months since forming a strategic alliance with Energy Education, a national energy conservation company, which will present the district with its Environmental Excellence Award on February 21, 2011 at the regular school board meeting.

"Reaching this level of savings at this stage of the program is a significant achievement. Gainesville City Schools has done an excellent job of implementing Energy Education's people-oriented approach to energy conservation and maintaining productive efforts at all levels of the organization. The administration and all staff members are to be commended for clearly fulfilling their commitment to being good stewards of the organization's energy dollars and the environment, "said Dr. William S. Spears, Chairman and Founder of Energy Education.

"Strong support from everyone involved in the organization has created an atmosphere of cooperation that should continue to grow and ensure even greater success well into the future, "Dr. Spears said. "I am extremely pleased to present Gainesville City Schools with our Environmental Excellence Award."

Schools Supt. Merrianne Dyer said, "The entire school system has contributed to this award. We are conserving energy and decreasing costs; more importantly, our students are learning to be stewards."

A primary benefit of the Energy Education program is that all costs come out of the existing utility budget, with savings projected to more than pay for the program, as they have done for Gainesville City Schools. Additional savings can be directed to other parts of the budget.