Clark County School District is the fifth largest school district in the United States, with over 350 schools, covering more than 24 million square feet. Its facilities division is one of the largest, most sophisticated, and most sustainability-oriented districts in the country. They are designing and building over 100 new schools to meet the tremendous growth of the greater Las Vegas metro area. All of the new schools will be LEED™ Gold Certified.
The Clark County School District hired NV5 as its owner’s representative for Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs). We conducted quality assurance of the Financial Grade Operational Audits (FGOAs) that had been prepared by the energy service companies. We also provided support during building, commissioning, and measurement & verification of savings.
Almost $20 million of self-funding investments were made in mechanical and electrical infrastructure at 51 schools. Projects included lighting upgrades, HVAC equipment replacements, HVAC controls improvements, plug load controls, and water efficiency measures. Learning environments have been improved with more consistent light levels, removal of mercury from classrooms, and in several schools the thermal environment has been improved by upgrading and recommissioning HVAC controls.
The school district received over $1 million in rebates from the Nevada Energy Smart Schools Program, as well as a $500,000 grant from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy for the audit costs.
