Oregon’s schools are important hubs for learning and community around the state, yet many aging schools need critical maintenance upgrades. Energy Trust can help schools make those upgrades with the most efficient options that make classrooms more comfortable, safer and less costly to maintain.

Since 2005, Centennial School District has worked with Energy Trust to invest in clean energy projects, which have earned them $495,400 in cash incentives.

One way the district has demonstrated its commitment to energy efficiency is through active participation in Energy Trust’s Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program. Through SEM, Energy Trust offers long-term coaching to help districts continuously identify energy efficiency improvements and find ways to engage students and staff around energy savings. This helps schools sustain and improve their energy savings year after year.

Since joining SEM in 2018, the district has saved nearly 1.5 million annual kilowatt hours and 203,000 annual therms. Practices such as conducting night audits, training staff on start-up and shut-down schedules and making incremental facilities upgrades have helped the district improve energy efficiency over time.

By engaging with Energy Trust, Centennial School District has gained valuable tools and resources that have inspired ongoing efforts to reduce energy consumption and foster an eco-friendly learning environment.

In 2020, the district’s energy efficiency journey took a significant leap forward when county voters approved a $65 million school construction bond. This funding, combined with cash incentives from Energy Trust, enabled the district to apply the lessons learned through the SEM program to a series of facility updates. These included classroom renovations and crucial energy efficiency improvements.

“Our SEM participation greatly informed the energy efficiency upgrades, energy management and other related activities,” said Jason LaFarge, director of facilities at Centennial School District.

One of the district’s most impactful capital projects was upgrading the digital controls on the heating and cooling systems, which it made at seven of its schools. The existing systems were outdated, with failing pneumatic controls and compressors that frequently broke down, making it difficult to maintain comfortable classroom environments.

New, more efficient control systems were installed in phases to minimize disruption to school activities. The results of the HVAC upgrade were immediate and transformative. The new control systems provide better temperature regulation in classrooms and reduced maintenance costs. Additionally, the district received more than $109,400 in Energy Trust cash incentives for the upgrades and is now saving nearly $127,800 annually on utility bills.

“Energy Trust was fantastic to work with,” said Paul Southerton, director of business and operations at Centennial School District. “Their long-standing support through the SEM program helped us define and prioritize energy efficiency projects, ensuring we could do more for our students, community and facilities.”

Since 2003, Energy Trust has invested more than $43.7 million in energy-efficiency projects at more than 1,200 public and private K-12 schools and facilities in Oregon. In total, these schools have saved and generated over 153.8 million annual kWh and saved over 6 million annual therms. These projects helped schools save about $27.1 million on energy bills in 2024, freeing up dollars for the classroom.