Modesto City Schools

What We're Doing

Program #1 - Partnership with Cenergistic

About Cenergistic 

• Cenergistic designs and implements customized energy savings programs for school districts, working closely with district staff to create energy savings plans and help students and staff understand how to minimize costs.

• An Energy Specialist works with Modesto City Schools to analyze and build optimization strategies to help systems work as efficiently as possible.

• Our energy conservation program creates a culture of sustainability, improves comfort, and minimizes energy waste. Between 2020 and 2022, the partnership with Cenergistic contributed over $1 million in energy savings.

• Cenergistic provides ongoing training and support to the district, including student engagement opportunities such as "Energy Audits."

"By instilling a culture of sustainability in your district’s faculty members and students, you can save dollars — dollars to spend in areas your district needs the most. And, with comfort being a top priority, rest assured your facilities will not only operate at optimal efficiency, but at optimal comfort as well."
- Cenergistic

🏆Top Energy Savers
November 2023 (% Savings)

High Schools
1. Modesto - 34.2%
2. Downey - 19.4%
3. Enochs - 16.1%

Middle Schools
1. La Loma - 24.1%
2. Mark Twain - 9.5%

Elementary
1 . Bret Harte - 39.6%
2. Sonoma - 33.6%
3. Garrison - 32.3%
4. Rob Road -31.4%
5. Orville Wright -30.9%

Program #3 - Student & Staff Engagement-Easy ways students and staff can help Save

Turn Out the Lights 💡
Lighting is one of the largest energy users in schools and one of the simplest ways to reduce energy use.

1. ✔ Pick an Energy Monitor or Form a Student Energy Patrol (Students can help make sure lights are turned off before recess, lunch, and after school in classrooms and shared spaces not in use.)

2. ✔ Start a “Save Energy” Campaign on campus (This can be as simple as creating signs to remind others to turn off the lights when leaving a classroom.)

3. ✔ Turn Off Unneeded Lights (Having all the lights on in a classroom isn't always necessary. Try experimenting with half-lighting, natural light, and other lighting levels to determine comfort.)

Minimize Heating and Cooling Costs
Save on energy costs without sacrificing comfort. It’s expensive to heat and cool school buildings, but indoor temperatures must be comfortable so teachers can concentrate on teaching and kids can concentrate on learning.

1. ✔ Respect the Predetermined District Settings for Thermostats

2. ✔ Don’t Block the Airflow Around Vents

3. ✔ Close the Doors and Windows (Avoid propping doors and windows open when heating and air conditioning are running, it wastes energy and makes HVAC units work harder.)

Reduce Energy Demand of Computers, Appliances and Equipment
Reducing the energy demand of computers, appliances, and equipment at schools is a creative way to save energy and money.

1. ✔ Set Computers and Monitors to "Sleep" Mode (Sleep mode saves energy, screensavers do not.)

2. ✔ Form a Student Energy Patrol (Much like with the lights, students can help make sure computers are turned off before recess, lunch, and after school..

3. ✔ Turn Off Computer Equipment (Turn off monitors that will not be used and be sure to turn equipment off at the end of the day and on weekends, unless instructed otherwise by IETS Department Staff. Some networks undergo upgrades and weekend maintenance.)

Resource: Cool California