Ceres schools get serious about cutting energy bill

Plan figures awareness can save about $150,000 yearly

By MICHELLE HATFIELD
mhatfield@modbee.com

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CERES -- School officials are starting a sweeping energy conservation effort that could save the Ceres Unified School District millions of dollars.

The campaign's main focus is educating staff about conservation through behavioral changes.

The district pays about $1 million a year for utilities, according to Scott Siegel, assistant superintendent of business services. Through a four-year contract with Dallas-based Energy Education Inc., the district hopes to save about $300,000 a year, he said.

"More than anything else, this is about education," Siegel said. "It's educating us on what we need to do as employees to save energy."

Ceres sixth-grade teacher Tim Taylor was hired as the district's energy educator/manager to meet with employees and track usage of electricity, water, sewer service, natural gas and fuel oil. He'll work with Energy Education consultants while still teaching at Virginia Parks Elementary School.

Taylor has a personal interest in conservation -- growing up in "the '70s during the energy crisis, back then I got the idea that conservation was a good idea. It kinda just stuck with me since then," he said.

With about 1,000 employees, not everyone in the district is happy.

"The first question teachers ask is 'Do I have to give up my personal refrigerator?' " Taylor said. "All we're asking is people be more responsible and thoughtful with their use of energy."

For the first year, Ceres Unified can expect to save about $300,000 on its en-ergy bills, according to Energy Education projections. The firm's contract is for $111,000 annually for four years. Taylor's extra salary, training and transportation will add about $40,000 a year, Siegel said.

With those figures, the district should come away with $150,000 in net savings, with more each additional year. If the district spends more on the contract than it saves, Energy Education will reimburse the difference.

Siegel said he hopes to see some savings as soon as 2008. After Energy Education's contract expires, the company provides support for free.

For more than three decades, Energy Education has been helping school districts and universities save energy and money -- to the tune of about $1.3 billion, according to the group's Web site.

Energy Education has worked with Fresno and Clovis unified school districts. Officials at both gave Energy Education high marks when Siegel checked references. Other Stanislaus County schools participate in similar energy conservation efforts.

"It's a lot of things we don't think about," Siegel said. "Take me. ... I'm in my office less than 50 percent of the time and I leave my lights on. I'm not paying the bill, so I use the electricity, but we all have to make wiser choices."

Bee staff writer Michelle Hatfield can be reached at mhatfield@modbee.com or 578-2339.