Features

The smart thing, the right thing

To reduce energy costs at home, you might make a habit of turning the lights off when you leave or adjust the thermostat to conserve.

These simple steps aren’t so simple when you have 6,800 kids and 1,100 employees in 17 buildings spread across city limits that span 49 square miles.

Recognizing the challenge, Kingsport City Schools has made energy conser-vation a top priority in its schools. According to Superintendent Richard Kitzmiller, energy conservation is, “not only the smart thing to do, it’s the right thing to do.”

In 2009, Kingsport City Schools placed among the top ten school systems in the state with the lowest rate of energy use per student, according to a report released by the Tennessee Department of Education’s Energy Efficient Schools Initiative. The report noted that Kingsport City Schools reduced energy costs by an estimated 22% from 2003 to 2008. In 2003, Kingsport ranked 21st of 136 systems in the state for lowest energy use per student. The school system improved its ranking to eighth in the state in 2008.

As part of the energy reduction initiative, a centralized energy manage-ment system was installed, enabling facility managers to control building temperatures from one location. Implementing this control system saved our taxpayers $22,000 in energy costs during the summer months of 2009. The school system also hopes to realize additional energy savings with the installation of solar panels in the Dobyns-Bennett Career and Technical Center, along with the geothermal heating and cooling system operating at John Adams Elementary School.

The use of geothermal heating and cooling system at the new John Adams Elementary School
is part of the energy reduction initiative.