Energy/Water Efficiency at Glenwood Elementary
Abstract
This project focuses on reducing the energy and water footprint of Glenwood Elementary
School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I inventoried energy and water consumption,
modeled costs and benefits of several efficiency upgrades, and implemented those that
were possible within a $1000 grant I received from the Kathryn Hoenig Gift. Glenwood
is currently responsible for annual emissions of approximately 398 metric tons of
CO2 equivalent and 871 kilo gallons of water consumption. Last year, this energy and
water consumption carried a price tag of $80,940, of which most ($75,709) was attributable
to electricity and natural gas. The energy and water upgrades I chose to implement
are low-cost with rapid payback periods. They are very cost-effective, though the
magnitude of their impact is small compared to Glenwood’s energy and water consumption
as a whole. These measures will save the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools approximately
$750, more than 6800 kWh of electricity, and 44,700 gallons of water annually. Because
the upgrades were purchased with grant money, this is essentially an annual $750 donation
toward helping the school district meet its educational goals. Implementing such initiatives
will also avoid 7,089 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions annually.
Efficient energy and water use provide financial and environmental benefits, a sometimes
elusive partnership. Approximately $850 of the $1000 grant covered the costs of these
upgrades. The remaining funds purchased additional lighting timers for the district
to use elsewhere and three Kill-A-Watt energy meters for the Glenwood science teacher
(a sustainability advocate) to use in teaching her students about energy efficiency.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/8501Citation
Kuestner, Holly (2014). Energy/Water Efficiency at Glenwood Elementary. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/8501.Collections
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