Irving, Belmont honored for being among best in the nation for energy efficiency

Irving Middle School and Belmont Elementary School were recently honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as two of the most energy-efficient buildings in the country.

For more than 20 years as part of its Energy Star Program, the agency has analyzed - among other things - a building's usage, utilities, occupancy and energy performance to generate an energy efficiency score between one and 100. The score is compared to similar buildings across the nation. Buildings with a score of 75 or higher are considered energy efficient and eligible to earn Energy Star certification.

Belmont Principal Kim Rosenthal said her school is honored by the recognition and stressed it’s really a district-wide accomplishment.

“This designation speaks to the commitment that our board of education and district leaders have made to having great facilities for our scholars to learn and reach their full potential,” she said. “Our scholars and teachers show a dedication to our environment every day by working to conserve energy and participate in our district recycling and composting programs. We really want our scholars to learn to be good citizens of our environment.”

Irving Principal Rachael Kluck-Spann and teacher and Irving Green Club sponsor Kristy Weddington said the honor is truly the result of efforts by the entire school and school district. At Irving, Weddington specifically mentioned daytime custodian supervisor Annie Bolender and cafeteria supervisor Arlene Sullivan.

“They believe that Irving was able to receive this award because of all the little things that staff are doing to save energy by turning off lights, projectors and equipment when not in use,” she said. “They also believe that our district has done an amazing job of setting our building up for success. Several years ago, Irving went through a major construction and many of our systems were upgraded to be more energy efficient. I think credit also goes to the kids; they are the best at recycling, composting and keeping an eye out for ideas to save energy and protect the environment.”

Thanks to Lincoln citizens approving the 2014 bond issue, both Irving and Belmont received indoor air quality projects, which included updating the HVAC system to ground source heat pumps, converting to LED lighting and making improvements to building envelopes such as roofing and windows. All of these improvements moved their building performance above and beyond the eligible range for Energy Star Certification. Belmont earned an efficiency score of 95 and Irving earned an efficiency score of 98, which means they are more efficient than 95% and 98% of all other similar buildings across the country. Currently there are 50 LPS buildings with an Energy Star score of 75 or above, with the goal of many more to come.

Both schools have celebrated their achievements with students and staff and a 2021 Energy Star Certified Building decal will be placed at both schools to signify their accomplishment. 

“LPS strives to operate our facilities with efficiency and sustainability as a priority,” said LPS Sustainability Coordinator Brittney Albin, “and these certifications are a great way for us to know we are doing so successfully.”

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