Department of Energy Honors Wake County Public School System
Oct. 7, 2002--On Monday the U.S. Department of Energy recognized
the Wake County Public School System for its success in saving
energy. "We achieve energy savings of $1.2 million annually
through a combination of energy-efficient designs, building
improvements and a far-reaching EnergySavers program that
involves students, teachers, administrators, and 
maintenance
staff," said Mike Burriss, assistant superintendent of facilities.
"It takes everyone working together."
Jim Powell, director of the DOE Atlanta regional office, and Ray Massey, associate superintendent of auxiliary services, signed an agreement to make the school system a partner of Rebuild America, a national network of more than 475 partnerships committed to improving communities by saving energy. Through the Rebuild America program, DOE anticipates that WCPSS will serve as a model for what school districts can accomplish by committing to a comprehensive energy-saving program.
"I applaud Wake County schools for taking the lead. We need more districts following your example," said Powell.
In addition to Powell and Burriss, officials from the North Carolina State Energy Office, Rebuild America/EnergySmart Schools and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project made remarks. State Senator Eric Reeves, Wake Board of Education member Susan Parry and student EnergySavers teams were also on hand for the partnership signing.
The event was held at Dillard Drive Middle; a school that is saving over $42,000 annually on energy largely due to design features that make optimum use of daylighting, or the strategic use of natural light, in combination with other energy-saving measures. Dillard Middle was constructed from the same design as Durant Middle, which also has daylighting and saves over $26,000 a year. The new Heritage Middle, scheduled to open in 2004, will also include daylighting.
WCPSS
is also incorporating many other sustainability guidelines
into its current building program, PLAN 2000, making it one
of the first districts to do so. In February 2001, a Triangle
group representing Durham, Orange and Wake Counties, released
sustainability guidelines to improve the design, construction
and operation of public buildings. The group produced the
document "High Performance Guidelines: Triangle Region Public
Facilities" to save energy and water, reduce the use of materials,
reduce indoor pollutants, and save taxpayer dollars. Guidelines
cover 45 topics and range from waste management to erosion
control.
With one of the largest building programs in the area, WCPSS feels it's important to set an example and be responsible with its resources.