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Building for the Future.

Springfield Local Schools Earns Energy Star Buildings Label.

The Springfield Local School District serves the residents of Springfield Township and Lakemore, OH. The district’s facilities include Springfield High School & Junior High, Schrop Intermediate School, Spring Hill Elementary and Young Elementary. The district’s Mission is to inspire students to realize their full potential as critical thinkers and ethical leaders in today’s global society, while ensuring a safe and respectful culture.

In 2017, the district earned the Energy Star Buildings Label for Schools through the work of its facilities team and an Intelligent Services partnership with Gardiner. Hear more from the district about the role that data has played in their success:

Read the Full Press Release Now

Building Challenges:

New Standards for Comfort & Efficiency.

When Springfield Local Schools built its new High School & Junior High in 2014, the district thought it had a clear path to building efficiency. They quickly realized, however, that building design and real-world operation can be very different. With building comfort and energy costs not where the district had hoped, Springfield turned to Gardiner to help solve the building challenges they were facing.

Program Objectives.

  • Improved Learning Environment

    One of Springfield's biggest priorities was to improve the comfort of its facilities to provide a better environment for students & faculty.

  • Efficient System Operation

    New systems don't automatically mean efficient systems. They need to be optimized & managed for practical, real-world conditions.

  • Utility Rate Negotiation

    Evaluating and Ensuring that the district was getting the best possible electrical rates was a big focus for the program up front.

Building Solution:

Intelligent Services.

Gardiner’s customized Intelligent Services program for the district offered a unique analytics-based approach to provide the following services to the district:

  • Dynamic Commissioning™
  • Operational Reviews & Virtual System Inspections
  • Utility Bill Analysis, Supply-side Consulting & Negotiation
  • System Programming Review
  • Help Desk Support

Project Results:

Sustainable Improvement.

Gardiner’s Intelligent Services program began yielding results almost immediately. Within 12 months, the district had realized the following results from the program, including becoming the first school facility in 2017 in Summit County to earn the Energy Star Buildings Label:

  • 16% Energy Savings
  • Energy Star improvement from 69 to 86 (75 = “Energy Star Building”)
  • Dramatic 96% reduction in space comfort issues
  • Renegotiated Utility Rate, saving the district roughly $30,000 on electricity

 

Continuous Improvement.

Space Comfort Scorecard.

When it comes to both energy and comfort, Intelligent Services is about continuous improvement. Gardiner’s Space Comfort Scorecard measures each space’s ability to meet setpoint consistently on an ongoing basis. During the baseline measurement, 31% of classrooms at Springfield High School & Junior High were found to be unacceptable or “bad.” Within 12 months, with teamwork for Gardiner and the district, that number was down to less than 1%.

 

 

  • "The approach that Gardiner took was unique. It was very customized and collaborative with our staff...We saw things improve in a gradual, systematic way.”

    - Dustin Boswell, Business Manager, Springfield Local Schools

  • “Anything we can do to make the environment better for students and save money at the same time, is a win-win...Energy Star is great recognition for the district.”

    - Mike Smith, Maintenance Supervisor, Springfield Local Schools