Des Moines Public Schools

Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) is the largest public school district in Iowa. DMPS was established more than 100 years ago and educates a diverse student body of more than 32,000 students. DMPS partners with ENERGY STAR® to promote energy efficiency awareness and education to students, faculty and staff members, and the greater community. DMPS is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its commitment to demonstrating environmental and financial stewardship through comprehensive energy management, based on ENERGY STAR best practices. Key 2015 accomplishments include:

• Earning the ENERGY STAR for three new buildings in 2015, for a total of 49 ENERGY STAR certified buildings in the district.
• Saving more than $325,000 in its most recent 12-month performance period, for a total of more than $2 million saved since first implementing its energy management approach in 2008. These savings were realized in spite of continuously increasing utility rates.
• Reducing its total energy consumption by more than 35 percent since 2008, thereby also significantly reducing its carbon footprint. These reductions were achieved during a time when total square footage of DMPS-operated facilities increased by more than 195,000 square feet, and the percentage of air-conditioned classrooms increased from 74 percent to more than 99 percent of all educational spaces.
• Implementing numerous energy efficiency projects including, but not limited to: conversion of all exterior lighting to ENERGY STAR certified light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures; replacing more than 6,000 interior light fixtures with ENERGY STAR certified LED devices; installing solar hot-water systems to supplement existing domestic hot water needs; and replacing inefficient windows and doors with high-efficiency installations.
• Converting two additional school buildings to geothermal heating and cooling systems, increasing the total number of District geothermal projects to 40. Switching to geothermal has helped to nearly double the 1—100 ENERGY STAR score of some school buildings.
• Additionally, all schools in the district have participated in EPA’s ENERGY STAR National Building Competition.