DMPS Earns Sixth Consecutive Energy Star Honors

SixTimeEPA WinnerDes Moines Public Schools has been named a 2017 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award winner for continued leadership in protecting our environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. The accomplishments of DMPS will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2017.

This is the sixth consecutive year DMPS has received the Partner of the Year award. DMPS is one of only two Iowa recipients of the honor.

Key energy efficiency and conservation initiatives at DMPS during the past year include:

  • Earning the ENERGY STAR certification for eight new buildings, with a total of 57 ENERGY STAR certified buildings in the district.
  • Maintaining an average ENERGY STAR score of 91 out of 100 across the DMPS portfolio of buildings.
  • Reducing the district-wide annual source energy intensity from 112.9 to 108.7 thousand British thermal units (kBtu) per square foot.
  • Deploying full-facility light-emitting diode (LED) lighting retrofits for 15 buildings, resulting in the installation of more than 7,200 ENERGY STAR certified LED fixtures and 4,000 ENERGY STAR certified LED replacement lamps.
  • Implementing numerous energy efficiency projects including, but not limited to: installing a high-efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system; updating system controls; making heat pump, boiler, and cooling tower improvements; upgrading to direct digital control systems; and replacing inefficient windows and doors with high-efficiency installations.
  • Spending an average of $114 per student on energy cost, more than $90 below the national average of $205 per student.

“The effort we put into energy efficiency is literally paying dividends for both our students and the environment,” said Bill Good, chief operations officers for Des Moines Public Schools. “Each year hundreds of thousands of dollars are being directed towards education rather than energy costs, funds that support our top priority: teaching the children of Des Moines.”

The 2017 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are bestowed upon a diverse set of organizations that have demonstrated continued leadership in energy efficiency. Winners hail from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 organizations – representing energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.

For a complete list of 2017 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit www.energystar.gov/awardwinners.