The Douglas County School District has earned a $19,039 incentive payment from Sierra Pacific Power Co. for energy efficiency improvements at four schools in Carson Valley.
The school district is receiving the payment through the utility's Sure Bet for Schools program which rewards schools for investing in energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency measures implemented by the schools are expected to save up to 3.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, or enough energy to serve about 430 households for a year, according to project manager for Energy Efficiency and Conservation John Hargrove.
The energy efficiency improvements at the Douglas County schools are expected to reduce the school district's electricity usage by an estimated 323,000 kilowatt hours annually.
Energy efficiency projects implemented by the Douglas County School District:
-- Rooftop heating/cooling units at the Jacks Valley Elementary School were replaced with higher efficiency units,
-- Fixtures and lights at Carson Valley Middle School were upgraded with more energy efficient fluorescent lights,
-- Pa-Wau-Lu Middle School installed new thermostats in classrooms, reprogrammed cafeteria lighting and installed CO2 sensors in the large gym and cafeteria areas,
-- Chiller equipment was rewired at Minden Elementary School to reduce energy use.
