Boonville, Mo. (Aug. 18, 2020) – The 2020 school year will be looking brighter for students when they return for classes Aug. 24 at the Boonville R-1 School District, thanks to smart energy upgrades. The new LED lighting fixtures, along with energy-efficient HVAC equipment, will enable the school district to use less energy and reduce operating costs by approximately $32,500 a year.
The school district’s smart, energy-saving upgrades include HVAC improvements and the installation of a building automation system to respond to changing temperature and humidity levels. The hallways and classrooms are shining bright with more than 2,400 LED lighting fixtures that were updated in several district buildings, over the course of three years. LED lightbulbs use up to 55% less energy and can last up to 13 times longer than fluorescent lights. They also generate less heat, reducing the strain on the HVAC.
“We’re always looking for more ways to be efficient without sacrificing high quality education in a comfortable environment,” said Fred Smith, assistant superintendent for facilities of Boonville R-1 School District. “Thanks to the Ameren Missouri incentives and our annual energy cost savings, the upgrades to our Hannah Cole Primary School paid for themselves within a year. Now, the money we’re saving on energy each year can be reallocated to fulfill other needs for our students and the district.”
Purchase and installation costs for the lighting and HVAC upgrades were reduced by nearly $32,000 thanks to incentives from Ameren Missouri.
“Keeping energy use low is especially important as more schools and organizations experience tight budgets,” said Rich Wright, manager of energy-efficiency at Ameren Missouri. “Ameren Missouri’s BizSavers program helps organizations, like school districts, save money on their energy statements, so they can spend it on what really matters – their students. We also offer a similar program that provides rebates – and ongoing cost savings – for energy-efficient upgrades made at home.”
Since 2018, Missouri schools have saved more than $3.5 million on their energy statements and conserved more than 41 million kilowatt-hours of electricity as a direct result of energy-efficient upgrades. That's enough electricity to power nearly 5,000 homes for a full year. Ameren Missouri helped offset the districts' installation costs by providing more than $6 million in incentives.
As part of its BizSavers program, Ameren Missouri provides cash incentives for energy-efficient upgrades, such as LED lighting, high-efficiency HVAC and refrigeration systems, commercial-grade cooking equipment, motor controls/variable frequency drives, and much more. The program is one of more than 26 energy-efficiency programs offered by Ameren Missouri to help residential and commercial customers reduce energy costs. Ameren Missouri expects to invest $226 million over the life of its energy-efficiency programs, which in turn would provide $592 million in benefits for customers. Visit AmerenMissouriSavings.com to learn about easy savings opportunities and AmerenMissouri.com/BizSavers to see how your business can save.
The Boonville R-1 School District is a public school system serving students and families in the Boonville, Missouri area. Boonville schools provide a rich learning environment for area youth ages preschool through high school. For more information about Boonville Schools, visit our website at https://www.bpsk12.net or follow us on social media at Facebook.com/BoonvilleR1.
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 132,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us on Twitter at @AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
Contact:
Ameren Missouri Communications
314.554.2182
missouricommunications@ameren.com
Boonville R-1 School District
660.882.7474
news@bpsk12.net