Ohio Educational Facility Awarded by EPA

By Anca Gagiuc

GARDINER presents Springfield’s staff with Energy Star Award (Pictured left to right: Kevin Pugely from GARDINER, Mike Smith and Dustin Boswell from Springfield Local School District and Nate Smik from GARDINER.)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Springfield High School & Junior High School the Energy Star Building Label, making it the only K-12 building in Summit County to receive the distinction, while also placing it among the most energy efficient K-12 school facilities in the U.S.

The district’s partner in finding and implementing energy conservation strategies, GARDINER, presented the award via representatives Dustin Boswell, business manager, and Mike Smith, maintenance supervisor.

“When we opened this facility in 2014, our promise to the community was to be as efficient as we could with the operating dollars that we had,” Boswell said in a prepared statement. “Although the building was new, we identified early on that we weren’t getting the most from our new systems. The Energy Star award really symbolizes that we’ve stayed committed to that promise for our students and the community.”

“Anything we can do to make the environment better for students and save money at the same time is a win-win. The superintendent and the board have really been supportive on this effort,” added Smith. “It’s great recognition for the district.”

Sustained growth

A building that scores a 75 or greater on the EPA’s scale of 1-100 may be eligible for Energy Star certification. Springfield High School & Junior High improved from a 69 score a year ago to its current score of 86, which qualified the project for the award.

“The approach that GARDINER took was unique,” said Boswell. “It was very customized and collaborative with our staff. We identified specific issues with our building and how we could operate it better and saw things improve in a gradual, systematic way.”

Images courtesy of GARDINER