13 western Kentucky schools have earned the distinction of being within the top 25 percent of the nation’s most energy-efficient schools.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR certification goes to districts focusing on energy reduction and resource conservation.
The Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence says Caldwell, McCracken, McLean, Todd and Muhlenberg County school districts have together saved more than $1.7 million in the past seven years. And Caldwell County is the only one of those districts with 100 percent of its schools ENERGY STAR certified.
During recognition events in each of the five school districts, representatives from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) and the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) presented school officials with certificates signed by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and EEC Secretary Charles Snavely.
“With rising energy costs the second highest line item in a school’s budget, superintendents and boards of education are taking action to achieve savings through energy management,” said Ron Willhite, Director of the KSBA School Energy Managers Project (SEMP). “School energy managers play a key role in many districts by consistently making energy efficiency a standard component of a school’s operating platform and by identifying projects to maximize savings.”
ENERGY STAR designation often goes to schools using 35 percent less energy than similar schools nationwide.