News Release > Entergy Arkansas, Bryant schools partner in energy efficiency projects

Entergy Arkansas, Bryant schools partner in energy efficiency projects

09/08/2022

Teachers, students and staff at Bryant schools received energy efficiency products.

Teachers, staff, students also received products to help at home

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Entergy Arkansas recently awarded Bryant School District $43,328.61 in incentives to support the implementation of energy-efficiency projects and operational changes in 2020 and 2021 through its Entergy Solutions Program, which resulted in an estimated annual savings of more than $38,000 for the district.

The Entergy Solutions Program provides technical and financial support to help Entergy Arkansas customers identify and implement projects that reduce energy usage. Bryant School District has received support through the Continuous Energy Improvement initiative of the CitySmart Program, which offers support specifically to institutional and public entities.

“The knowledge we obtain through the Entergy Solutions energy experts provides tremendous value across the district,” said Bryant School District Deputy Superintendent Todd Sellers. “My experience with this program has been great and I look forward to continuing this partnership, so we can get better at ‘doing our part’. Conserving energy is our first priority, but the savings we are seeing is an added benefit that our taxpayers deserve and should expect. This program is one that I take every chance given to share details with my colleagues. I’m very grateful for this partnership.”

The CitySmart Program helps organizations understand the technical and financial benefits of investing in energy efficiency and develop an improvement plan. The program does not prescribe technologies or end uses but instead provides a framework through which the participants can receive incentives for implementing and installing a wide range of measures at their sites. CEI focuses on behavioral and operational changes to improve energy efficiency.

As a CEI participant, Bryant School District is offered personalized, step-by-step guidance, resources, and yearly incentives to embed energy efficiency into its culture. Through CEI, the CitySmart team helped Bryant School District implement four energy-saving projects between 2020 and 2021, including replacements of two unitary HVAC systems and two energy recovery ventilators. These projects improved the facilities energy efficiency, comfort and air quality.

The Entergy Solutions CEI team also helped Bryant School District recognize and reconcile some simple low- and no-cost operational changes to improve energy efficiency during school breaks. These recommendations led to a daily shutdown checklist that included HVAC setbacks, turning off lights and unplugging unused equipment. The team later recommended that Bryant School District perform some summer maintenance jobs, such as waxing the floors, earlier in the school year. Shifting tasks to the cooler months helped Bryant School District reduce the energy load on their air conditioning systems by around 20%.

The energy efficient improvements Bryant School District has implemented during 2020 and 2021 are saving an estimated 787,000 kWh annually, which is the equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions from 62,758 gallons of gasoline, according to Environmental Protection Agency calculations, and more work will be done this school year.  

Additionally, Bryant School District hosted an energy efficiency product giveaway to keep the energy savings flowing at home. More than 4,500 teachers, staff and students received a mix of LED desk lamps, advanced power strips and LED bulbs, resulting in annual savings of 205.87 kWh and about $22 per household. 

“Congratulations to Bryant School District for taking advantage of this opportunity to collaborate,” said Barbara Merrick, Entergy Arkansas customer service manager. “Through the CEI alone, Bryant School District has lowered its overall electricity use by more than 9%. We look forward to future projects with the school district for years to come.”

Entergy Arkansas has an award-winning portfolio of energy efficiency programs for both residential and business customers. To learn more about these programs, visit entergy-arkansas.com/energy_efficiency.

About Entergy Arkansas

Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to approximately 728,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR), an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

These prekindergarten students were two of the 4,500 teachers, students and staff to receive a mix of LED desk lamps, advanced power strips and LED bulbs, which can result in annual savings of 205.87 kWh and about $22 per household.