Albuquerque Public Schools
Savings
Savings earned by holiday power-downs, summer school consolidation, and new temperature controls
Powered down electricity during spring and winter brakes saved $95,760
During the six days of spring break (March 25 – April 1), APS’ largest campuses saved 45% in electric costs by powering down all but the most basic electric systems with a total savings District-wide of $34,560. Powering down electric systems during the winter break, between Christmas and New Year’s, saved $61,200.
Consolidation of Summer School saved $345,840 in expenses
Summer school, held June through July, was consolidated from 69 campuses in 2015 to 51 in 2016. In spite of a 74.8% increase in high school student enrollment over the previous year, APS saved 2.8%; and a 27.8% increase in K – middle school student enrollment, 23.5% was saved in operation costs. Factoring in both curriculum and support and operations despite expenses (nursing, transportation, utilities, and maintenance) $345,840 was saved in 2016 over 2015. As this was the first “pilot” summer school consolidation, even greater savings are expected in future summers. Also, administrative personnel occupied non-summer school sites in 2016 but have been alerted that access will be very limited going forward.
Replaced inefficient heating and cooling controls in portable classrooms
Newly installed control systems are estimated to provide an annual energy savings of over $40,000. These include programmable thermostats installed in portable classrooms to better regulate heating, and twist timers installed on coolers to prevent coolers left on while classrooms are unoccupied. This is an ongoing upgrade carried out by the HVAC and Electrical Shops.