STARS

Ron Rioux, the Energy Conservation Coordinator, has designed and operated the District’s energy conservation program, STARS (Schools Teaching About Resource Sustainability), since he began it as a pilot program with nine schools during the 2000-01 school year. The four-part program combines the schools’ administration supporting and encouraging conservation; at least one teacher at each school willing to coordinate the program and share insight; students and teachers implementing ideas and behavior focusing on energy education and conservation; and including the custodial staff’s significant role in the team effort.

Students create sustainability by learning the importance of energy conservation and how to practice it, and pass their knowledge onto other students, teachers, and staff. They are motivated in part by the 33% electrical cost savings that is refunded back to the schools. Teachers involved in STARS apply the funds toward energy conservation education materials.

As illustrated by the above graph, STARS has saved the District over $2.9 million since its inception after rebating 33% back to the participating schools. Actual electric savings has exceeded $4.4 million. The program gained momentum every year, with more schools joining voluntarily, until the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Rioux attributes the slight drop in savings to a couple of factors: 1) a heightened emphasis on standard textbook curriculum in some schools, and 2) schools that have been in the program reaching their window of maximum savings, which is the majority of the 54 schools. And while $4.4 million in electrical savings over a nine year period is certainly deemed a success, it is not a District wide mandatory program, which is needed.

The District is currently evaluating options regarding outsourcing its energy conservation program to an independent management company to operate and expand District wide. The company would be paid a percentage of the energy savings. The Department of Energy estimates that 30% of all energy spent at public schools is wasted. Through the STARS program, APS has reduced its total energy use by about 18%. A new District wide program, to replace STARS, would be required to improve on that savings. In addition, APS also requires that such a program be mandatory, sustainable, save a pre-determined percentage of kilowatt hours per site per year, and have an education component. STARS and other similar programs have proven that education and awareness are critical to a change in attitude that results in the permanently altered behaviors that save energy.