ST. LOUIS (Aug. 16, 2021) – Back to school is looking brighter this year for several St. Louis-area schools thanks to energy efficiency upgrades from Ameren Missouri’s BizSavers Program. Upgrades include brighter classrooms, more efficient heating and cooling systems, and significant cost savings.
The Parkway School District earned more than $1.6 million in Ameren Missouri incentives for completing 218 energy efficiency projects since 2008, including updating thousands of light fixtures to LEDs and replacing old HVAC systems with higher efficiency units. These upgrades will save the district about $1.2 million in annual electricity costs and more than 13.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh). That's enough electricity to power more than 1,100 homes for a full year.
“We've been working with Ameren Missouri for years to identify significant savings and be more energy-efficient while also having a positive impact on our budget,” said Erik Lueders, director of sustainability and purchasing at Parkway School District. “The incentive program was a win-win because it helped fund upgrades that will reduce our costs each year, which then enables us to reinvest the money we’re saving into other programs that benefit our students.”
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St. Louis’ second-largest district, Hazelwood School District, also took advantage of $840,000 in cash incentives to upgrade to LED lights at 33 buildings. This will save the district $685,000 in annual energy costs. It will reduce Hazelwood's energy use by 8.5 million kWh, about the same amount used by more than 700 homes for a full year. The district's participation also earned the title of Ameren Missouri's BizSavers Program 2020 Energy Efficiency Champion, awarded for achieving greater energy savings than any other Ameren Missouri customer in 2020.
Ameren Missouri’s BizSavers incentives aren’t just for large school districts. St. Roch Catholic School, located north of Forest Park, will save more than $26,000 in electricity costs annually, thanks to lighting and HVAC upgrades made with the help of more than $37,000 in incentives.
“We’re proud to help schools save money on their energy statements so they can devote even more resources to provide their students the best education possible,” said Rich Wright, manager of energy efficiency at Ameren Missouri. “Working with schools of all sizes that are taking advantage of Ameren Missouri’s cash incentives and the annual energy cost savings, we're able to identify numerous projects that pay for themselves quickly and provide ongoing savings for years to come."
Since 2018, Missouri schools have saved more than $7.9 million on their energy statements and conserved more than 91 million kWh of electricity as a direct result of energy efficiency upgrades. That's enough electricity to power nearly 7,800 homes for a full year. Ameren Missouri helped offset the districts' installation costs by providing more than $12.5 million in incentives.
As part of its BizSavers program, Ameren Missouri provides cash incentives for energy efficiency 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.
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.