In Delaware, school districts are overhauling their campuses to make them more self-reliant. One example is the Christiana School District, which is planning to work with the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility to install solar panels in a parking lot on the east side of Christiana High School.
Christina recently announced two major energy-efficiency efforts, which Racca hopes will be “dipping a toe in the water” of a larger district-wide overhaul.
First, the district will work with the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility to install solar panels in the parking lot on the east side of Christiana High School. The utility is seeking vendors who will build, own and maintain the panels and the big battery cells that will store the energy they harvest.
Christina also announced that it is overhauling Glasgow High School and Gauger-Cobbs Middle School to make them more energy-efficient.
The improvements will do things like modernize heating and cooling systems, install new, more efficient lights, automate building electrical controls, improve water conservation and better seal the building envelope.
The district hopes to cut its energy costs by almost a third. The district is working with Johnson Controls on the project. It will cost about $6.5 million, but the district is expected to reap more than $7.3 million in savings over the repayment term.