GERMANTOWN, Wis. — Germantown School District is creating more comfortable learning environments and significantly reducing energy costs, thanks to building upgrades and indoor comfort system modernization.

The district undertook the project in collaboration with Trane^®, a global provider of indoor comfort solutions and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand^®. It is expected to reduce the district’s energy use by 20 percent over the next three years, and has already saved the district more than $130,000 dollars. 

“As budgets tighten more and more each year, reducing operating costs provides some cost relief,” said Don Erickson, director of maintenance and plant operations at Germantown School District, which includes five schools. “Increasing energy conservation and efficiency saves money and improves the building environment for our teachers and students so they can be most effective.”

The solution for the schools includes new lighting, windows, upgraded HVAC with direct digital controls (DDC), boilers, high efficiency motors, variable frequency drives (VFDs) for motor speed adjustment, and destratification fans for more uniform temperatures.

Digital connectivity gives the district staff and Trane experts visibility into the system’s performance, allowing them to make adjustments to maintain energy efficiency and comfort control.

Energy savings processes are part of the district building operations team’s long-term plan. Trane experts trained the district team to help them make knowledgeable, data-driven decisions that sustain the positive impact on energy savings.

Publication date: 11/5/2018

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