Everyone loves positive press. And, that’s exactly what CMC/Ameren’s Carbon Free Public School (CFPS) program recently received in August on the CBS-TV affiliate in Peoria, IL.
Under the CFPS program, CMC will provide an energy efficiency and electrification analysis to every public school in the Ameren territory. The audit will highlight ways to improve electric efficiency and recommend facility upgrades that move the schools toward a carbon-free future. Think electric appliances, heat pumps and electrification of school buses.
25News Now reported on an August Peoria Public School District (PPSD) school board meeting that featured a report-out of the audit by Leidos/Ameren’s CFPS program manager, Adam Fields. PPSD is the largest school district in Ameren territory, providing electricity to 34 buildings.
Fields noted that no-cost changes like increasing the temperature after-hours and installing optimum start for HVAC systems could reduce the School District’s carbon use by 138 metric tons. Fields also supplied school officials with heat maps of areas throughout PPSD buildings where mechanical insulation and building enclosures could save energy.
“It’s so exciting to see that the CMC team’s hard work can contribute to making public schools carbon free,” said Mike Carroll, associate program manager. “Ultimately, we’re supporting CMC’s mission of creating a more comfortable, affordable and equitable future for all and making a better world for future generations.”
The CFPS program’s value was echoed by the PPSD’s Director of Transportation Josh Collins in the news report.
“Any savings that the district sees are potential dollars that can be placed into education versus paying for electricity,” Collins said.
Collins said the PPSD Buildings and Grounds department will assess Ameren’s report and consider proposals to help the school district go all green by 2030.
“The end goal is also to reduce our carbon footprint, to make sure that it’s not just about cost savings, it’s also about being responsible for the environment moving into the future,” he concluded.
See the full 25News Now story here.