Energy Star

Energy Star Awards

Since 2009, OPS has won a total of 47 Energy Star Awards, for individual schools and the district as a whole. Seven OPS schools have also won the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Award, which is one of the most prestigious green schools awards in the country. The District continues to strive for this level of excellence in environmental stewardship.

Strategies

The District has pursued many strategies to reduce building energy use over the years. Dozens of schools now have real-time energy monitoring systems that help the District determine when and where energy is being used so that conservation strategies are targeted. LED lights are the norm in new renovations and new buildings. Communicating and implementing energy conservation practices is also essential to reducing energy use, and the District’s Energy & Water Management Team is focused on monitoring energy use and providing direction and solutions to schools for continued conservation.

These strategies and additional guidelines for reducing energy use are included in the Environmental Stewardship Plan. The District will also likely see significant reductions in energy use with the completion of upgrades as outlined in the recent Facilities Assessment.