State schools’ chief urges districts to consider renewable energy

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s top schools official is encouraging the state’s school districts to look into renewable energy technologies as a way to cut their energy costs.\nState Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed kicked off the Indiana Department of Education’s yearlong “Learn Green, Live Green” initiative this month. Reed said some districts are already tapping into renewable energy, and saving taxpayer money in the process.\n“Many school corporations are making the switch to renewable energy sources to cut costs and reduce their carbon footprint, and they are to be applauded for these efforts,” she said.\nSome Indiana schools have already switched to geothermal heating and cooling.\nUnlike heating and cooling systems that use natural gas or electricity, geothermal heat pump systems tap into the Earth’s natural heat storage capacity to heat and cool homes.\nThe systems pipe liquid underground to draw warmth from the Earth to heat homes during winter and discharge heat into the ground during the summer to cool homes.\nMount Vernon High School is switching to geothermal heating and cooling, and the junior high there has already done so, said district assistant superintendent Mike Horton.\n“Part of what we teach our kids each day is to respect the environment,” Horton said. “We converted our junior high school to geothermal energy six years ago, so we know all the benefits of this system.”\nRandy Stair, co-president of Stair Associates Inc., an Indianapolis engineering company, said his company has converted or helped build geothermal energy systems for at least 18 schools in Indiana, including Mount Vernon High School.\nHe said the systems save schools about 30 percent on energy costs \nand reduce maintenance costs by 10 or 20 percent.\n“It’s not as expensive, even up front, as what people have been led to believe,” he said. “It’s affordable, saves money and is good for \nthe environment.”