On April 23rd, the KEEA Energy Education Fund (KEEF) along with several businesses, state and local legislators, and PECO electric utility representatives gathered to recognize the Upper Moreland School District for winning the 2019 Moving to the Head of the Class competition from KEEF. The event opened with a virtual tour of the building’s upgrades, featuring a live visualization of the building’s automation systems, to contextualize the impact on the school’s operating budget.

Rich Selverian, Board President of KEEA Energy Education Fund, remarked that “this district has significantly reduced both energy usage and demand: their investment in retro-commissioning with the Stone House Group saved over $52,000 on annual energy costs from improved building automation systems, and they have implemented a Demand and Response program to achieve a 14% reduction in energy use.” Teachers and staff also find creative ways to get students involved in sustainability efforts, including a Green Goals plastic recycling initiative and the Crayola ColorCycle program, which turns used markers into energy.

Attendees then convened at the School Board meeting for brief remarks followed by a presentation of the Energy Champion award and proclamations from the Montgomery County Commissioners and State Senator Maria Collett. “Upper Moreland desired to reduce costs and improve efficiency with how our buildings utilize energy,” said Matthew Lenz, the Business Manager for Upper Moreland School District. “Our buildings are not only used during the school day but also at nights and weekends for school and community use.  We are pleased that our efforts have led the way amongst our peers to show that a focus on energy reduction can have cost savings and improve operations.”

Among the guests were staff from the office of Pennsylvania Senator Maria Collett and the members of the School Board. Representatives from PECO, CMC Energy Services, MaGrann Associates, and Warren Energy Engineering were also in attendance.

2019 marks the seventh year of the Moving to the Head of the Class Award from the KEEA Energy Education Fund. Designed to promote energy efficiency as a resource to Pennsylvania schools, the program is funded by E4TheFuture and the West Penn Power Sustainability Fund. More information can be found at www.keefund.org.