Media Contact: Karl Walquist (775) 834-3891

The Douglas County School District has earned a $19,039 incentive payment from Sierra Pacific Power Company for energy efficiency improvements at four schools in the Carson Valley.

The school district is receiving the payment through the utility's Sure Bet for Schools program, which rewards schools for investing in energy efficiency.

Incentive payments totaling $226,435 are going to six school districts in northern Nevada, as well as Truckee Meadows Community College, Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village and Western Nevada Community College in Carson City.

Energy efficiency measures implemented by the schools are expected to save up to 3.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, or enough energy to serve about 430 households for a year, according to John Hargrove, project manager for Energy Efficiency and Conservation at the utility. 

"Sure Bet for Schools offers a great opportunity for the schools to reduce their energy bills, and a way to share information about projects and products,"Hargrove said. 

Following are the energy efficiency projects that were implemented by the Douglas County School District:
* Rooftop heating/cooling units at the Jack's Valley Elementary School were replaced with higher efficiency units.
* Fixtures and lights at Carson Valley Middle School were upgraded with more energy efficient fluorescent lights.
* Pa Wau Lu Middle School installed new thermostats in classrooms, re-programmed cafeteria lighting and installed CO2 sensors in the large gym and cafeteria areas.
* Chiller equipment was re-wired at Minden Elementary School to reduce energy use.

The energy efficiency improvements at the Douglas County schools are expected to reduce the school district's electricity usage by an estimated 323,000 kilowatt hours annually.