Grace Lutheran School, Oshkosh, cuts heating bill by 29%

From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:

Snow and ice didn't dampen school spirit at Grace Lutheran School in Oshkosh, Wis. The school recently enjoyed a 29 percent reduction on its heating bill after making a few energy efficient improvements. Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, awarded the school $1,800 in financial incentives to help get the energy saving projects underway.

"We had a lot of ideas to save energy and called Focus on Energy last fall for help," said Axel Peikert, HVAC technician and boiler operator at Grace Lutheran School. "Focus performed an energy evaluation on our entire building and worked with us to come up with some ways to save energy and money."

To boosts its energy efficiency efforts, the school insulated steam, condensate and hot water pipes throughout the building. Insulating high temperature piping greatly reduces heat loss. The school also insulated its boiler breeching with two-inch thick mineral wool and the condensate tank with two-inch thick rigid fiberglass.

In addition, the school achieved significant savings by reducing room temperature during night and weekend hours and cutting back the use of its steam boiler. The costs of operating the steam boiler averaged $100 per day. It was used to heat parts of the building that could also be heated by the school's existing hot water boiler or forced air rooftop unit. These alternatives are less costly to run and provide plenty of heat. In very cold temperatures, the steam boiler can still be utilized if needed.

The school also installed a variable-frequency drive in its field house that controls the fan system by reducing the airflow while still providing adequate ventilation. This saves $2,000 annually and reduces unnecessary wear and tear on components - resulting in decreased maintenance and increased operating life.