Richmond School District staff are hoping to find a few more energy efficiencies to help take a bite out of coming BC Hydro rate increases expected to cost an additional $150,000 to $200,000 annually.
Tracy Blagdon, the district's manager of energy and sustainability said the task will be difficult since there have already been many initiatives implemented to cut down on electricity, as well as natural gas, consumption in local school buildings.
That, coupled with a steady decrease in enrolment - and the government funding that goes with it - leaves the district with a problem funding the nine per cent hydro hike starting in April 2014 and will amount to a 25.5 per cent jump after five years.
"In the past we've been pretty aggressive in cutting consumption," Blagdon said, adding that since 2008 the district has been able to avoid power and heating costs of roughly $1.16 million - $842,000 in electricity and $321,000 in natural gas savings.
That was achieved through a combination of simple reinforcement such as reminders for staff to ensure office lights have been shut off when not required, and more complex items such as retrofitting school buildings with more efficient heating and cooling systems. The district has even added three, new electric-powered vehicles for its information/technology staff to replace gas-burning vans used for school site visits.
Despite all those measures, the district has set an electricity usage decrease for 2014 at three per cent.
"That's a pretty aggressive target," Blagdon said, adding as the BC Hydro rates start to rise - which is intended to pay for upgrades to the utility's aging infrastructure - achieving that goal will be harder to attain.
Also making the task harder is the delay waiting for technology to catch up and provide further, economically viable efficiencies to replace the already frugal systems and initiatives now in place.
Blagdon said she is always keeping an eye on the development of new solar and wind technologies to see if they would be a good fit.
"But in terms of financial payback, even with rates going up, we're not at that financial tipping point yet."
One easy and cost effective strategy that could make a difference is examining closer how to more efficiently heat and light school buildings during school breaks, and after regular school hours when many community groups use the facilities.
Blagdon said school holiday periods are when much maintenance work can be performed. And those schools containing daycares remaining open around the Christmas holidays require the utilities to be left on.
More efficient booking of community groups into one designated wing of a school building where the heat and light can be consolidated, is one possible answer.
But with higher power costs mapped out for the foreseeable future, the bottom line is the increases could end up impacting the classroom, said school board chair Donna Sargent.
"Since the increase starts in April we are looking at finding $30,000 to cover this school year, then for every year afterwards we have to find another $150,000 to $200,000," Sargent said. "We don't know exactly where that will come from. But when 92 per cent of your budget covers staff, it's not hard to see where that impact will be felt."
