Fort Bend ISD participates in several energy efficiency programs aimed at reducing the District’s energy consumption and maximizing efficient energy use on a daily basis.
FBISD has been awarded Energy Star certifications for 17 of its District campuses. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy with the aim to help businesses and individuals save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
As part of a Board of Trustees initiative, the District investigated the Energy Star Program and submitted building and utility data to determine compliance with energy codes and standards. The District expects more campuses and facilities to be awarded the certificate as the process continues.
The qualifying FBISD schools include five elementary schools (Colony Bend, Dulles, Heritage Rose, Jones and Lantern Lane); three middle schools (Dulles, Hodges Bend and McAuliffe); eight high schools (Austin, Bush, Dulles, Elkins, Kempner, Ridge Point, Travis and Willowridge); and the Ferndell Henry Center for Learning.
Through Energy Star, the District also pledged to participate in the Low Carbon IT Program, which is a nationwide effort to assist and recognize organizations for reducing the energy consumed by their information technology equipment.
In addition to the Energy Star distinction, the District received energy efficiency rebates totaling $84,600 through the 2012 CenterPoint Energy (CPE) Retro-Commissioning and SCORE program. These rebates are a direct result of the many energy efficiency projects undertaken throughout the District. The company partners with Houston-area schools and government organizations to help reduce overall energy use.
These measures are estimated to reduce 1,300 megawatt hours and 1.2 megawatts of our annual energy consumption. FBISD saved more than 11,000 megawatt hours in energy usage and almost $1 million from the 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 school year.