Angela Headlee, Central Region CERT Coordinator, interviewed Jolene Bengtson, Business Manager for the Pine River-Backus School District about a district-wide lighting project done to improve the energy efficiency of classrooms at the elementary and high schools that replaced over 260 lights.
Angela Headlee: Could give me a sense of the community of Pine River?
Jolene Bengtson: Pine River is typical small town America, but what might not be so typical is that we have a large segment of the community that is very interested in ‘green’ initiatives. The Hunt Utility Group campus—which houses Happy Dancing Turtle, and the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance—is located here in Pine River. This campus is very active in moving forward resilient living concepts as well as renewable energy technology, and they have a big influence in the area.
Angela: When did the school lighting retrofit project begin?
Jolene: We began in late 2010, early 2011. Karl Flier, our Director of Buildings & Grounds, received notice of the grant and thought we could recognize a large benefit by implementing a lighting retro-fit. By changing from T12 to T8 fluorescent bulbs the school district could save energy, thereby saving money.
Angela: Were there any other groups involved?
Jolene: We worked with the utility company, Minnesota Power. They provided rebates and energy-usage information which I entered into the Buildings, Benchmarks & Beyond (B3) database. Pine River Electric was the designated contractor for the project; we attempt to use local contractors whenever possible!
Angela: What has been the reaction of the other individuals in the community?
Jolene: The school board has been very supportive of our efforts.
Angela: What amount of energy has been saved?
Jolene: Ninety-seven lights were replaced in the High School and 165 in the elementary school, but this is a difficult question to answer. At the same time that the school district did the lighting retrofit project (reducing energy usage) they also installed white boards and projectors in every classroom on campus (increasing energy usage).
Angela: What were the total project costs?
Jolene: The school district had a 50% match. The total project cost was $31,440.00. ($15,720.00 grant and $15,720.00 school district)
Angela: What is the expected payback?
Jolene: The calculated simple payback is 6.4 years.
Angela: Did you have other sources of funding, besides the match?
Jolene: Yes, the school district received the following rebates: MN Power gave $6,472.68, Xcel Energy gave $1,080.00, and recycling old ceiling grids had a rebate of $951.20
Angela: What are the benefits to the project partners and the greater community?
Jolene: Any time you can save money on operating costs you decrease the amount you have to request from the tax payers.
Angela: Did you have any obstacles?
Jolene: The timeframe was a challenge because the funding needed to be expended during the fiscal year but the school district couldn’t start the project until school was out in June; our local contractor did an amazing job.
Angela: Have any other projects been developed as a result of this effort?
Jolene: Pine River-Backus School District is very pro-active in their energy initiatives. Currently, we are exploring Solar PV and Solar Thermal. We are also looking into LED lighting for the exterior fixtures in the next couple of years.
For more information about this project, Contact Jolene Bengtson at jbengtson@prbschools.org
Additional Resources
Hunt Utilities Group
City of Pine River
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
