HALTOM CITY, Texas — Through a comprehensive effort to reduce energy consumption across all its campuses, Birdville Independent School District (BISD) announces it has saved funds and improved classroom comfort while cutting energy use per square foot by a third since partnering with Cenergistic, a national energy conservation company. The District opted to continue the success by renewing the partnership an additional three years. 

The partnership made a significant impact on BISD over the first five years of the program. The 33 percent energy use reduction helped redirect funds from the utility budget to student learning. National organizations took notice too: the District earned 58 ENERGY STAR® Building Certifications — recognition reserved for the top 25 percent of K–12 buildings nationwide. 

The average cost per square foot to power all 4,281,323 square feet of BISD buildings has gone from $1.24 in 2015 to $0.84 today. 

The Energy Use Index, a measurement of energy units per square feet for a 12-month period, dropped from 39.25 to 26.43 — one of the lowest in the nation, a Cenergistic representative reported. 

Program success plays a significant role in reducing the District’s carbon footprint. Energy reduction from the program equates to avoiding carbon emissions produced by 43.8 million miles of automobile travel.  

“Everyone, from administrators to teachers and staff, has collaborated to make this program a success,” said Doug Bilyeu, Regional Vice President at Cenergistic.  

BISD’s comprehensive behavior-based energy conservation program addresses energy use throughout the District. Two Cenergistic Energy Specialists — Christopher Latimer and Laron Street — work closely with District personnel and Cenergistic engineers and experts to continually optimize systems and schedules. They monitor energy use with advanced technology and shape organizational behavior through education — affecting how each person in the organization understands, uses and saves energy for years to come. The outcome is healthier, more efficient buildings that use less energy and have lower related costs. 

To protect against COVID-related issues, the Energy Specialists give special attention to improving air quality and supporting facilities teams to ensure classrooms adhere to CDC ventilation standards. 

“Cenergistic has assisted our transition back to in-class learning and that alone has proved invaluable,” said Katie Bowman, BISD Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Auxiliary Services. “The dollar savings on top of that prove this partnership to be a shrewd investment for our district and students.” 

About Birdville Independent School District 

Birdville ISD’s 33 campuses proudly serve Richland Hills and parts of Colleyville, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst, North Richland Hills, and Watauga. The mission of Birdville ISD is to ensure that all students position themselves to excel with integrity in an ever-changing global society through innovative and responsive learning environments. 

About Cenergistic 

Since 1986 Cenergistic has partnered with 1,495+ educational, municipal government and healthcare organizations to achieve $6 billion in utility savings and cost avoidance. These strong results come from the application of Cenergistic’s organizational behavior-based strategies and are enhanced by our proprietary software platform to drive building and equipment optimization. Our energy conservation program reduces utility consumption by an average of 25% with no capital investment while maintaining or improving the comfort and quality of building environments. For more than a decade, Cenergistic has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year or Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence. To learn more, visit www.cenergistic.com.