ENERGY STAR is an organization that recognizes energy efficiency and honors exceeding EPA standards for reduction in energy use, money cutbacks, and lessened green house gas emissions. In the past few weeks, ENGERGY STAR has awarded North Penn School District not one, but two awards for their increased focus on energy conservation. The first award received was an ENERGY STAR label for North Penn High School building. ENERGY STARS are given to buildings that perform 75% or higher in no cost energy efficiency compared to others in the same bracket. ENERGY STAR certification benefits not only include helping the environment, but NPHS will be added to ENERGY STAR’s online registry that highlights the nation’s leaders in energy effectiveness.
But bigger than the building achievements, North Penn School District, the entire 18 buildings, 12,500 students, and 2 million square feet of us, has earned ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. NPSD was chosen for this prestigious award for improving energy efficiency more than 20% over the entire district, involving more than 400 students in energy saving programs, and saving 1.1 million dollars in utility costs with no investment. A big part of this change is from the students, in particular the Energy Troopers that traveled to Washington D.C. on March 26th to receive the award along with many North Penn faculty advisors and administrators. Representatives and CEOs from some of the 20,000 big companies that partner with ENERGY STAR were also present, such as Verizon, Toyota, Merck, and PECO.
Senior Matt Nejako, who represented NPSD in receiving the award, looks back on the trip as “an experience I will remember forever. There were so many CEOs; I will never be able to have this kind of experience ever again.”
North Penn joined the ENERGY STAR program in 2008 and after winning the ENERGY STAR partner award this year, hope to achieve Energy Partner of the Year- Sustained Excellence in the future.
Check out North Penn Television’s coverage at: http://www.npenn.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=2927&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=17592&PageID=1
Sources: http://www.energystar.gov/