MiraCosta College

Oceanside CA– As part of a five-year, California voter-approved initiative to provide funding for energy projects in state schools, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office awarded MiraCosta College $377,679 of the $45 million allotted to community colleges to pay for energy-efficient and clean-energy infrastructure improvements. This funding enabled the college to change parking and streetlights at all three sites to new energy-efficient LED fixtures. MiraCosta College parking lots now have brighter lighting for the safety of students and staff, and qualified MiraCosta for utility incentive rebates in the amount of $52,797. This investment saves the district $17,815 in annual utility costs, an additional $8,172 per year in maintenance costs, and each year saves nearly 200,000 kilowatts of electricity.
“MiraCosta has made it a priority to provide top-notch facilities that are environmentally friendly and energy-efficient,” said Tom Macias, director of facilities at MiraCosta College. “And our goal is to continue to develop plans for our campuses that respond to this commitment of sustainability.”
California voters passed Proposition 39, also known as the California Clean Energy Jobs Act, in 2012. The measure allocates funding for the next five fiscal years to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy generation in K-12 schools and community colleges, and to create clean energy jobs. All 72 California community college districts were allocated funds to make improvements to their campuses.
MiraCosta College is now working on plans for this year’s allocation of Proposition 39 funds, which total $295,774.
For more information, contact Tom Macias at tmacias@miracosta.edu or call 760.795.6691.

Vista Unified Teams with Schneider Electric for $4.7 Million Prop 39 Improvements

Vista – Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, today announced Vista Unified School District became the third of San Diego County’s 42 school districts to have its Proposition 39 Energy Expenditure Plan approved by the California Energy Commission. Vista Unified School District will receive $4.7 million that will be used for a variety of energy efficiency retrofits including heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) replacements, programmable thermostats, computer power management, and LED exterior lighting and controls.
The project will also have the greatest impact on the District’s facilities, spanning 27 school sites – more than any other approved Energy Expenditure Plan statewide. When fully implemented, these energy efficiency measures will deliver more than 2.3 million kWh in energy savings.
“We are grateful that Vista Unified School District will be able to utilize these resources to improve the quality of our facilities while also improving energy efficiency,” said Vista Unified School District Assistant Superintendent of Business Donna Caperton. “Without the heavy lifting and guidance of Schneider Electric, it would be difficult to get these projects off the ground. The savings we expect to realize through the approved plan will help us achieve our vision to be the model of educational excellence and innovation.”
“We understand that the intricacy of Proposition 39 can be daunting; this complexity combined with resource constrained school districts is leading to the Proposition 39 opportunity being underleveraged by California school districts. That’s where we come in to provide a variety of resources, services and energy expertise to assist school districts with their sustainability goals,” said Jordan Lerner, Regional Director, Schneider Electric. “We go beyond sustainability goals and help districts expedite the completion and approval of their Energy Expenditure Plans.”
Like many school districts in California, Vista Unified School District has addressed several small-scale energy projects over the years. Now, through Proposition 39 funding, Vista Unified School District can make significant energy efficiency upgrades by replacing old and inefficient heating and air-conditioning equipment as well as better controlling how that equipment is operated. The plans will also improve exterior lighting and save the district money by allowing them to better manage information technology equipment. By taking a more holistic, strategic look at their energy efficiency ecosystem, Vista Unified School District will be able to realize significant energy savings, which can then be reinvested into enhancing students’ education experience.
For the 2013-14 school years, the California Department of Education has allocated a total of $29 million in Proposition 39 funds to San Diego’s 42 school districts and charter schools. Of that, $11 million has already been made available to school districts for planning expenditures, which include the hiring of Energy Managers and completion of facility audits. Statewide, the Energy Commission has received a total of 117 Proposition 39 Energy Expenditure Plans, of which Vista Unified School District becomes the 55th approved as of July 29.

About Proposition 39

The California Clean Energy Jobs Act (Prop. 39) changed the corporate income tax code and allocates projected revenue to California’s General Fund and the Clean Energy Job Creation Fund for five fiscal years, beginning with fiscal year 2013-14. Under the initiative, roughly up to $550 million annually is available for appropriation by the Legislature for eligible projects to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy generation in schools. To learn more, visit www.energy.ca.gov.

About Vista Unified School District

With 29 schools serving more than 22,000 students from preschool to 12th grade, Vista Unified School District is one of northern San Diego County’s largest educational agencies. The district stretches 39 square miles across most of Vista, a large portion of eastern Oceanside, some unincorporated areas and small slivers of Carlsbad and San Marcos. In addition to the campuses district administrators oversee, Vista Unified also includes one of the county’s largest adult-education programs with about 20,000 enrolled each year and another 3,000 students in four charter schools sponsored by the district. To learn more, visit http://vistausd-ca.schoolloop.com

About Schneider Electric

As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructure, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Non-residential Buildings, Data Centers & Networks and in Residential. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the company’s 150,000 plus employees achieved sales of 31 billion US dollars in 2013, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy. www.enable.schneider-electric.com