| EnergyWorks
 The
Energy Center’s EnergyWorks program
provides technical assistance to cities,
counties, nonprofit, public and private
sector entities to improve the energy
efficiency and operating costs of existing
commercial and public buildings. It includes
a low-interest loan fund to help finance
improvements for nonprofit facilities.
In 1995 EnergyWorks expanded to become
a five-year public/ private partnership
supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's
Rebuild America initiative. Since 2004,
EnergyWorks has sustained efforts with
school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan
area and rural districts throughout Missouri.
EnergyWorks
Energy Efficiency Program for
Missouri’s
Rural School Districts
These are difficult days for budgets in
the State of Missouri, and school administrators
have some hard decisions in order to continue
giving students the best education for the
dollars available. A program, funded by the
US Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) and the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
(DNR), has helped save district dollars and
improve the learning environment in classrooms
for 10 rural school districts. The Rural
Schools Initiative (RSI) was designed to
bring energy efficiency and education services
to underserved rural Missouri schools.
The
RSI is administered by the Metropolitan
Energy Center’s
EnergyWorks program. EnergyWorks is helping
districts with design
and implementation of energy saving projects.
Schools also participate in an energy education
program designed by Missouri DNR staff specifically
for Missouri schools and correlated to the
Show-Me Standards.
EnergyWorks has completed technical analyses
of school buildings in all 10 districts.
Some of the districts were able to apply
for a low interest Missouri Energy Loan from
the DNR Energy Center to implement improvements.
The analyses showed that all ten schools
spent a total of $1,175,300 on energy per
year and a projected annual savings of $208,200
(almost 18%) would be realized if all recommendations
were implemented.
Additionally,
at no cost to the districts, DNR/Energy
Center’s environmental education
program, “Energy for Missouri: Today
and Tomorrow” was provided with curriculum
material and teacher training.
EnergyWorks Director Don Tutko has managed
this program since 2003. Don, retired President
of Viron Energy Services Corporation, can
be seen in the following video clip talking
to a reporter about the benefits of energy
efficient schools.
The
video is available in three (3) different
screen sizes
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