St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) Superintendent E. Wayne Gent accepted a rebate check from Florida Power and Light (FPL) in the amount of $97,440.00 during Tuesday’s School Board Meeting. The rebate resulted from the recent installation of a new Thermal Energy System (TES) at Lakewood Park Elementary. The District has had a long-standing commitment to maximizing the efficiency of its facilities, and the installation of such systems in local schools has proven effective. Schools with systems such as these have demonstrated an average savings of approximately 50 percent in energy costs. “Every dollar is important to education, and these savings equate to a re-investment in our students,” said Gent.
Over the lifetime of SLPS’s partnership with FPL, a total of $2,428,873.00 worth of incentives and rebates has been realized. Replacement projects on roofs and lighting control retrofits along with other TES system installations contribute to this total. Specifically, the TES is an ice storage system for chilled water cooling in air conditioners that helps reduce the energy bills while still keeping the school at a comfortable temperature for students and staff. The TES system runs during off-peak hours to take advantage of FPL’s Time of Use Rate. This rate allows for lower electric charges during off-peak hours.
