Using Energy Savings to Pay for Capital Improvements...
How Evergreen Schools Finally Got Air Conditioning

It started with a promise to the teachers. "You need air conditioning, and we'll provide it." That's a big promise when there's no budget allocated! So what did San Jose's Evergreen School District do? Dr. Clark Schiller, Director of Planning, found the perfect solution. He turned to the Landis Division of Siemens, one of the nation’s leading performance contractors, and Marina, Evergreen’s proven HVAC partner. Performance contracting, in a very real sense, turns energy savings into upgraded building systems. The performance contractor purchases and installs all the equipment for lighting and HVAC improvements. The customer "pays" for the improvements with the energy savings. After everything is "paid for”, the savings revert to the customer.

This was no easy project. Performance contracts are required by law to be self-funding. We had to save enough in energy dollars to pay for air conditioning where it had not been before, replace inefficient heating and lighting as well as install a centralized direct digital control (DDC) system for precise temperature control. It was a tight schedule: the new system had to be up and running when the students returned in the fall. Terry Adovnich, Evergreen’s Manager of Facilities Maintenance, received a round of applause from the students and teachers when he delivered the new Air Conditioning as promised, and there are ongoing rewards that will make his life easier every day. The user-friendly DDC control system is a great labor saver. Since he and his maintenance crew of eight provide for the comfort of 12,000 students in more than 750,000 square feet of buildings, Terry has every reason to be pleased.

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Anatomy of Evergreen's Performance Contract
System Before After Summary of Benefits
Air Conditioning None Each Classroom has its own high efficiency unit Dramatic increase in comfort, funded by savings in other energy systems.
Heating Inefficient heating units, carrying up to six classrooms. One high efficiency furnace per classroom. Increased energy efficiency. more precise temperature control.
Duct Work Spider pattern ductwork from multi-zone heater. Short duct from evaporator to classroom. Reduced loss with shorter ducts, less horsepower.
Temperature Control All classrooms either on or off at the same time. Direct Digital Control for each room from a centralized remote monitoring station. Precise control of individual rooms. Centralized scheduling for weekends, vacations and evening events. Capability to automatically turn unit off if the teacher wants fresh air and leaves the door open.
Maintenance Intensive maintenance of units that are past their useful live. Minimal maintenance Reduced labor costs. Increased comfort and satisfaction by users of the facility.
Repair/ Trouble Calls Dispatch maintenance crew after problem is reported. Diagnose and often resolve trouble form central maintenance. Knowledge of problems before complaint occurs. Fewer dispatches, trouble insolated to classroom rather than entire building. Trouble diagnosed by control measurements.
Lighting Low efficacy system, poor lights levels, discolored and cracked lenses. High efficiency systems, new looking fixtures, improved light levels. Buzz, hum an flicker-free. Better light levels.
Energy management Pro-active management of energy costs not possible. Direct Digital Control of supply temp, room temp and fan operation. System runs 1/3 of the time it ran before.

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