Daviess County Public Schools Win Energy-Efficiency Award

Saving money on energy in our schools leaves more funds to be spent on educating students. With that in mind the Daviess County Public Schools began a program several years ago with energy efficiency in mind for current and new facilities. Several of the new schools including Southern Oaks and West Louisville Elementary were designed to be state of the art.  That dedication and attention to the environment seems to have paid off.

The Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED) will recognize the Daviess County Board of Education as the winner of the 2012 LG&E and KU Community Award for Innovation. 

The award honors businesses that place an emphasis on maintaining energy-efficient facilities, which helps cut expenses.  The Daviess County Board of Education has been a countywide leader in energy efficiency for years.   For example, the school district installed geothermal heat pumps at Whitesville Elementary as early as 1993, when that technology was considered risky.  Since that time, each of the district’s new schools and some office buildings use geothermal heat pumps, which are cheaper to operate and maintain.  

Besides geothermal, the school district has implemented many other energy-efficiency methods.  The district has installed in-demand hot water heaters, motion-sensor lights, Web-based software programs to maximize energy savings and more efficient lights, to name a few.  Several of the district’s campuses have earned the prestigious Energy STAR certification. 

Kenergy Corp, a rural electric cooperative that serves Daviess County Public Schools, nominated the school district for the KAED award, which will be presented at a KAED luncheon on Thursday, April 19, at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington.