Peoria Public Schools District 150 could go completely carbon-free under a proposed plan from Ameren Illinois. It wouldn't be free of up-front costs, but could lead to long-term savings.
The report identifies 94 possible improvements, ranging from low-cost changes like optimizing pool pumps to high-cost changes like switching schools to solar. It was done for free through the State of Illinois’ public schools carbon-free assessment program.
The board of education heard a presentation of the plan during Monday's meeting.
Program manager Adam Fields said assessments were done on 34 buildings to determine the proposed changes.
“We look at different parking lot areas, different roof areas,” he said. “We looked at available space where solar might be an option.”
The report included Richwoods High School as an example. The report recommends adding solar panels to the school's roof, predicting that change alone would save the district about $138,750 annually.
The report also suggests switching 52 district vehicles to electric.
Not all changes are quite as drastic. Some include simply changing the thermostat temperature at certain points in the day, or making changes to HVAC systems.
“These are items here that can have immense monetary savings for sealing up the building and reducing the amount of heat that is transferred or escapes,” Fields said.
District 150 is the largest school district in Ameren Illinois’s service area. It’s now up to the administration to decide which changes to make.
Ameren Illinois offers districts information on grants and other financial incentives to assist in covering project costs.
