Two alumni are helping with a project that will save the high school $207,000 every year. In addition to the high school, the alumni are working on ways to save money for the Middle School North/Spencer Loomis and Middle School South/Isaac Fox buildings.
Scott Jasinski and Sean Wynne, 2005 graduates, work for the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center, SEDAC. It offers programs to identify problems with energy use and create solutions to reduce it.
“Our clients are either commercial or public. Sean and I chose LZ to get another client and to help LZ since we went there,” Jasinski said.
One of the programs offered is Retro-Commissioning. This service provides guidance by finding ways to fix the control, scheduling, and operation of energy consuming systems to match the present functional requirements of the building, according to SEDAC’s website.
The program is almost free for the school. The money comes from the electric bills of customers from electric companies such as ComEd and Ameren Illinois.
The LZHS Retro-Commissioning showed a potential 37 percent reduction in energy use. On the whole, LZHS spends about $2 per square foot for temperature controls, when it could be at about $1. Additionally, LZHS is using energy when it does not need to, such as with vacant hallways during vacations.
The Energy Assessment showed many opportunities for a reduction in energy. These include unit ventilators in the B-Hallway, occupancy sensors, and gym lighting upgrade.
The Middle School North/Spencer Loomis building Retro-Commissioning showed a potential 17 percent reduction in energy use, which would be an estimated $29,000 in annual savings. At the same, the Energy Assessment identified a 24 percent reduction in energy use with a potential of $40,000 in savings. The Middle School South/Isaac Fox Energy Assessment showed a potential 31 percent in energy use, which would save about $80,000 annually.
“With most schools we can find 10-30 percent savings, but sometimes there’s more and sometimes there’s less because of outliers,” Jasinski said. “The Lake Zurich High School has ample opportunity to save energy.”