Monday, February 09, 2009
By Lynn Moore

HOLTON -- Holton Public Schools may harness the wind as part of an overall strategy to reduce energy and operations costs by $100,000 per year.

But rather than provide a lot of savings, wind turbines would be more of an educational and "goodwill" gesture by the school district, said Holton Public Schools Superintendent John Fazer.

The turbines could be part of a retrofitting plan, which rough estimates place at $2 million, for such equipment as boilers, windows, lighting and ventilation systems. The district has applied for an interest-free government loan to pay for the improvements.

"Our efforts right now are to cut our energy consumption and our operational costs because those come out of our general fund," Fazer said.

With school budgets continuing to constrict, many districts are looking for savings in energy spending. Several have or plan to enter contracts with consultants to help them determine where savings can be made and whether those savings can offset the costs of new equipment.

A feasibility study already performed in Holton determined there are areas the district could save money. Fazer said that has led the district to aim for $50,000 in energy cost reductions and $50,000 in operational cost savings per year.

Holton officials are in talks with Trane and Honeywell, which have both provided the district with proposals to replace equipment that would guarantee a certain amount of energy savings.

Fazer hopes whatever contract the district enters into can be paid for with a Qualified Zoning Academy Bond -- essentially a no-interest loan from the federal government reserved for schools with high percentages of low-income students. The bond can be used to pay for equipping or renovating school facilities.

Even if the district doesn't get the federal loan, Fazer said he is committed to finding other low-interest financing for the energy plan.

That's because ventilation systems, the high school boiler and other equipment are more than 30 years old.