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Utility Reporting and Analysis Tool Assists with Tracking Consumption, Savings Opportunities

Fort Pierce, FL (April 30, 2009) — Operations professionals and faculty at St. Lucie County School District in Florida are helping their district overcome the nation's challenging economic times by saving money through improved energy management. Despite a nearly 20-percent increase in utility rates, due in large part to the significant rise in fuel costs, St. Lucie County Schools has avoided spending nearly two million dollars – 19-percent of its utility budget – over the last nine months.

With each month of the 2008–2009 fiscal year boasting an average savings of nearly $204,000, the district is on track to maintain a cost avoidance of $2.4-million of its $13-million in annual utility costs, still a 19-percent savings for the east Florida district. Energy conservation efforts at the 39,500-student district that have helped achieve these savings include closely monitoring all utility bills, implementing more efficient use and control of HVAC systems, lighting retrofits, installing motion sensors, and improving communication and training of employees.

Key to the district's success is the reduction of utility usage by those occupying district buildings. The first nine months of the current fiscal year brought a decrease of 12,531,269 kilowatt hours in consumption compared to the July through March span of the previous year. Implementing UtilityDirect, SchoolDude's utility tracking and analysis system, proved to be a crucial component in assisting with the district's energy savings methods.

"UtilityDirect has enabled me to track usages and pin-point areas of concentration for improvements to an extent not possible before," Russ Foster, energy manager for St. Lucie County School District, said. "Having the ability to see, immediately upon receipt of the bills, how we've done and how it compares to historical data has meant being able to keep more than $1.8-million in the school district's coffers so far this fiscal year."

This impressive savings comes on the heels of a $23-million deficit in funding for the current school year, which contributed to hiring and salary freezes, personnel reassignments, streamlining transportation operations and eliminating middle school sports. A proposed budget for 2009–2010 estimates a further reduction in state funding per student. With funding undeniably still posing a challenge in the coming years, the district's quality utility management and continued energy savings is critically important.

Adding perspective, Foster explained, "Our cost avoidance, based upon usage reductions, for the first nine months of the school year was $1,835,748. That's 49 beginning teacher positions."

About St. Lucie County School District
The schools of the St. Lucie County School District, in partnership with parents and community, will become premier centers of knowledge that are organized around students and the work provided to them. The core business of St. Lucie County Schools is to create challenging, engaging and satisfying work for every student, every day.

Tags: Analysis, audit, billing errors, compare bills, continued energy savings, Education, electric, energy, Energy conservation efforts, energy management, energy manager, energy savings methods, energy usage, fuel oil, improved energy management, natural gas, propane, quality utility management, Reporting, reporting tool, sewer, telephone, Tracking, trash, utilities, utility bills, utility consumption, utility tracking software, utilitydirect, waste removal, water

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