Energy Education Star Award –


Schools in District 86 receive Energy Star Label

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central High Schools in District 86 with Energy Star Labels for 2010. These two schools are the only ones of 48 primary and secondary schools in Illinois to receive the Energy Star Label. The award is given to those buildings that are able to submit data showing they are energy-efficient practices with a rating of 75 or higher on the EPA’s scale of 1-100. This data can be gathered by keeping track of water, natural gas and electric usage through a third-part software system. The district has been working with national consulting firm Energy Education Inc. and is currently not able to portray clear figures on how much the District has saved since the beginning of the relationship.

Hinsdale Central scored 96 and Hinsdale South 94, which marks them more energy efficient than 96 and 94 percent of similar buildings nationwide. One of the main ways to cut down their energy cost was to decrease the amount of power used when the buildings were unoccupied. Superintendant Nicholas Wahl said a few words about their strategy and procedures. “We make sure we’re not overheating areas and make sure we’re not cooling areas that are not occupied.”

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