Школы Колумбуса заменят лампы на светодиодные, чтобы сэкономить 60 тысяч долларов и направить средства в классы

Switching light fixtures could save Columbus City Schools nearly $60K a year COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Columbus City Schools is launching an LED lighting conversion project across 10 school buildings to reduce utility bills and redirect the savings to classrooms, according to a joint statement from the district and community advocacy groups. District officials say the switch will save $59,480.38 in energy costs during its first year, with savings projected to climb as utility rates increase. The initiative is funded by a $300,000 Great Lakes Thriving Communities Grant, given through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, which the district says they secured in collaboration with Safe Green Schools and the Building Power Resource Center. According to the district, all 10 buildings scheduled for upgrades are located in historically underserved communities: - Binns Elementary - Burroughs Elementary - Champion Middle - Fairmoor Elementary - Lincoln Park Elementary - Linden STEM Elementary - Ohio Avenue Elementary - South High - Watkins Elementary - Weinland Park Elementary "Switching to LED lighting is a smart, immediate win for our budget and our environment," Columbus Board of Education member Patrick Katzenmeyer said in the release. "Every dollar we save on energy is a dollar we can put where it belongs — directly into our classrooms, teachers and the students we're here to serve." Board Vice President Sarah Ingles believes this is just one step of a big push toward energy efficiency in city schools. "With the annual savings from this project and others that are in progress, we’ll save over a million dollars from our sustainability projects by the start of next school year," Ingles said. "That’s over a million dollars redirected to student needs." "Greedy tech billionaires have been raising our energy prices and having us subsidize their data centers," Westgate parent and Safe Green Schools leader Cat Lynch said. "With LED lights lasting 10 years, we can keep our dollars where they belong, funding our kids’ education." It is all part of the district's Safe Green Schools Resolution, which the Columbus Board of Education passed unanimously to commit the district to becoming carbon-free by 2050.