COLUMBIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CASE STUDYA private school in Columbia, MO

ENERGYLINKAN ENERGY SERVICE COMPANY

PROJECT INFO

PROJECT DETAILS

CASE STUDY SCOPE

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. COLUMBIA, MO 65203 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

BackgroundInformation

ProjectChallenges

ProjectSolutions

1 3ProjectResults

42

Client Columbia Independent Schools

Columbia, MO

Rooftop Solar Array, LED Lights, Upgraded HVAC & Controls, Demand Management, &

Destratification Fans

May 2018

Location

Tasks

Project Dates

BACKGROUND INFO

13 years after its founding in 1996, Columbia Independent Schools moved into a large building on N. Stadium Blvd.

The facility, which was built in around 1980, is constructed mainly out of bricks and is large enough to accommodate classrooms and school amenities for over 350 faculty and students, spanning from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

The former home to a Toastmaster was recently expanded to add a high quality Athletics & Arts Center.

BUILDING HISTORY• Columbia Independent

Schools is relatively new, having been founded in 1996, but their building has been around since 1980.

• The building is large enough to have classrooms and facilities to accommodate over 350 faculty and students.

• After adding a new Athletics & Arts Center, CIS wanted to improve their facility further by integrating renewable energy. Previous mechanical system issues and a desire to teach students of the importance of sustainability were also big motivators.

KEY POINTS

Columbia Independent Schools reached out to EnergyLink because, after they added their state-of-the-art Athletics & Arts Center, they felt the timing was right to look into renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades for their building.

Also, they were recently dealing with an issue where one of their mechanical systems, which was integral to their operation, had failed unexpectedly. This caused huge operational concerns, which naturally lead to a discussion of improving their operations.

Wanting to go further to educate students on the value of sustainability was also a key driver for the project. Embracing sustainability was very important to CIS’ management.

PROBLEM RECOGNITION

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

PROJECT CHALLENGES

From the start of the project to its conclusion, there were a variety of unique issues which the EnergyLink team had to work around. The first was that the school had mechanical equipment which wasn’t working and/or was very old or outdated, and the facility was not being properly controlled operationally.

On the engineering and design side of things, there were unknowns with controlling the Athletics & Arts Center because it was separate from the rest of the building and newer. This posed a particular challenge for properly setting up a demand management system which would integrate with both buildings.

Financing the project was another important issue of note. Columbia Independent School is a private school, so getting the capital to fund the project was more difficult; it was not as easy as holding a fund-raiser (although they did do this).

The EnergyLink team had to explore all options (which can range from traditional bank loans to PACE financing to third party capital investment and more) to determine the most viable and sustainable financial plan for Columbia Independent Schools.

SEVERAL UNIQUE ISSUES

INITIAL DIFFICULTIES WITH FINANCING

• The CIS project came with several unique challenges, including having to deal with old, outdated mechanical equipment that, in some cases didn’t work.

• There were also engineering challenges with designing systems that could properly link the new Athletics & Arts Center with their older building.

• Another challenge came on the financing side. It’s harder for private schools to obtain funding for big projects like this one, so the EnergyLink team had to get creative to suit CIS’ specific financial needs.

KEY POINTS

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

Rooftop Solar Array Installed - A 99 kW rooftop solar array was installed by EnergyLink’s construction team on the main building’s roof. It was laid out on a 15 degree tilt, south-west facing, along the north side of the building to maximize sun exposure. Installation was easy because the school’s rooftop was made out of metal.

Efficient HVAC Unit & HVAC Controls - A new, 15-ton HVAC rooftop unit which was significantly more efficient than their old HVAC units, was installed on Columbia Independent Schools to improve the efficiency of airflow in the facility.

Also, HVAC controls were hooked up to the new unit to ensure that the HVAC system runs as efficiently as possible while still ensuring an optimal, comfortable temperature inside the building for faculty, staff, and students.

EnergyLink’s process to complete the project had several key steps of note. They include:

1. Initial phase: Energy audit & building history review.2. Engineering phase: where our expert engineers worked to design

practical, cost-effective systems tailored to the facility.3. Financing phase: where our financing team collaborated the

management team to fund the project in the best way possible.4. Construction phase: where our construction team worked (during

times most convenient which wouldn’t disrupt the business’ operation) to install the new energy systems.

THE PROCESS

IMPROVEMENTS MADE

PROJECT SOLUTIONS

• The project process included an introductory audit and building analysis, time to design new energy systems, arranging project financing, and installing energy systems in a construction project which wouldn’t disrupt their operations.

• A 99 kW rooftop solar array was installed, southwest-facing at a 15-degree tilt to maximize sun exposure.

• A new, 15-ton HVAC rooftop unit to improve the efficiency of the school’s heating and cooling. Also, HVAC controls were put in place to further improve, efficiency, ensure comfortable temperatures in the building, and control energy demand spikes.

KEY POINTS

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

Efficient LED Lighting Retrofit - Columbia Independent Schools upgraded their lighting to avoid significant energy charges, increase workplace productivity, and improve lighting quality. LED bulbs on average are 30% more efficient than fluorescent light bulbs and last 35,000 hours longer.

The lighting upgrade will decrease maintenance times, save the company money, increase productivity in the workplace, and reduce the stress on the electrical grid.

Advanced Demand Management System (ADMS) - This system, unique to EnergyLink, connects a form of on-site energy generation (in this case, the 99 kW Smart Solar array) to other energy systems, such as the building’s HVAC, boiler, or lighting systems.

The ADMS platform uses advanced algorithms in the background to ensure that all energy systems are operating at their highest level of efficiency. It also allows building managers to see the status of all energy equipment and pinpoint and resolve inefficiencies as needed.

Destratification Fans - These special fans are typically used for large, open offices, warehouses, or other areas with a profile with ceiling heights over 20 feet. These fans help circulate heat that rises to the ceiling, which typically results in savings of up to 30% on heating costs.

A series of destratification fans were installed periodically throughout the gymnasium in Columbia Independent Schools’ new Athletics & Arts Center. EnergyLink’s initial energy audit revealed that heat from this space was costing the school significantly on their energy bills, so that area was targeted for improvement.

MORE IMPROVEMENTS

PROJECT SOLUTIONS

• Efficient LED lights were put in place of older fluorescent lights to lower CIS’ energy costs and improve lighting quality.

• An EnergyLink-exclusive Advanced Demand Management System was put in place to allow for full control of CIS’ facility, allowing them to see how all systems are running or make adjustments while the system continually works in the background to optimize all energy systems for maximum efficiency.

• Destratification fans were also installed in the Athletics and Arts Center to eliminate additional heating costs which would result from hot air rising.

KEY POINTS

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

Columbia Independent Schools became the first school in Columbia, Missouri to finance an energy project using PACE funding. This is significant because it shows the commitment the school has to sustainability, as well as their desire to be forward-looking in terms of innovating to improve its operations.

Columbia Independent Schools has paved the way for other schools to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. This project is evidence that even private schools can make energy projects work, and the decision is more economically viable than ever before.

As alluded to earlier, energy project financing can be difficult for private schools, but EnergyLink was able to find an option that worked perfectly for Columbia Independent Schools: PACE Funding.

PACE funding allows you to start an energy project with zero upfront costs; projects are financed by paying a portion of the energy savings the project generates over a set period of time; this allows for surplus cash-flows from day one.

FINANCING SOLUTION

NOTABLE ASPECT OF THE PROJECT

PROJECT SOLUTIONS

• EnergyLink’s financial team decided that PACE funding was the best solution to CIS’ financial problem. This financing tool incentivizes energy projects by having no upfront costs, regular payments which are just payments of a portion of your energy savings, allowing for positive cash flows from day one.

• Most notably, Columbia Independent Schools is the first school in Columbia, Missouri to complete an energy project using the PACE funding tool. This project shows that energy projects can be viable economically, even for private schools.

KEY POINTS

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

CIS WINS 2018 COLUMBIA MAYOR’S CLIMATE PROTECTION (MCPA) AWARD - HERE’S THE DATA BEHIND WHY THEY WON IT

THE RESULTS

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

With Columbia Independent Schools, the functional impact of the peak demand management system installed is realized fairly immediately after the project was completed in May 2018, with gradual improvements over time from ongoing refinement and tuning. With each transition from one season to another, our specialists are able to observe the behavior of the building’s system and create additional rules or logic to help govern the systems more effectively in the future to enable monetary savings from reduced peak demand while also keeping occupants comfortable.

Such measures include more precise pre-cooling or pre-heating schedules, as well as increasing or decreasing the freedom of the space-conditioning systems during mid afternoon as PV solar output fluctuates. It was these demand reduction efforts, combined with the holistic nature of CIS’ renewable energy project, which lead to their winning of the prestigious Mayor’s Climate Protection Award from the City of Columbia.

Find out how much you can save with an energy upgrade for your school!

Give us a call at (866) 218-0380 or schedule a Free Energy Audit today to see if you could realize

similar results.

ENERGY SAVINGS & SUSTAINABILITY STATS

THE RESULTS

ENERGYLINK | 501 FAY ST. #106 COLUMBIA, MO 65201 | 866.218.0380 | GOENERGYLINK.COM

Project Payback Period

Annual kWh Savings

Pounds of CO2 Removed Per Year

Year 1 Energy Savings

Pounds of Coal Burned

Smartphones Charged

Projected 10 Year Energy Savings

Projected 20 Year Energy Savings

Instant

180,000 139,154 295,419 16,230,683

$29,950 $423,978 $847,957

Equivalency data was found using the project’s kWh savings as the input in the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency calculator. Financial savings were derived from actual & projected figures.