DMPS Earns 2022 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award
Des Moines Public Schools Continues to be a National Model for Energy Conservation . . .
Des Moines Public Schools is proud to announce that it has received the 2022 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. This marks the 11th year in a row DMPS has earned national recognition from the ENERGY STAR program for its work to reduce energy use, save public funds, and improve the environment.
“As a school district, we want to not only manage our facilities efficiently but to do so in a way that also brings about benefits to the environment, such as reducing our energy use,” said Dave Berger, executive director of operations at DMPS. “This effort also leads to millions of dollars in cost savings which is increasingly important as public schools face more and more financial challenges. From the environment to our budget, this work is a win-win for Des Moines Public Schools.”
Key energy efficiency and conservation initiatives at DMPS over the past year include:
- Saving more than $21.7 million since 2008, and $1.4 million in 2021, as well as reducing site energy usage by more than 30% when compared to baseline.
- Benchmarking 100% of DMPS facilities in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®, totaling over 5.8 million square feet to achieve ENERGY STAR certification at 41 schools in 2021.
- Completing the first solar array within the district at Jefferson Elementary, which is expected to generate approximately 80 percent of the school’s energy.
- Leveraging federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II funds for ventilation improvements and humidity control to manage indoor air quality and energy efficiency together.
- Spending an average of $139 per student on energy costs, significantly lower than the national average of $205 per student.
- Leading the City of Des Moines to become the third ranked mid-sized city on EPA’s 2021 ENERGY STAR Top Mid-Sized Cities listing.
“We know it’s going to take all of us working together to tackle the climate crisis, and the 2022 ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are demonstrating what it takes to build a more sustainable future,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These companies are showing once again that taking action in support of a clean energy economy can be good not only for the environment, but also for business and customers.”
Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health.
Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2022 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR’s impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts and state-level information can be found at www.energystar.gov/statefacts.