ONLY ONLINE: Corbin school given award for energy efficiency

Corbin Primary School was recently recognized for its superior energy efficiency by receiving a prestigious Energy Star Award. The building is one of only 40 K-12 Schools in Kentucky who were awarded the accolade. 

Corbin Primary School’s Principal Travis Wilder said the award is given annually to institutions, businesses and buildings that demonstrate commitment to environmental protection through outstanding energy conservation. Although only 40 school buildings in Kentucky have received the Energy Star Label all buildings, new and old are eligible to apply for the award.

"Energy conservation is a lifestyle," Principal Wilder said. "It’s something that we have to make a permanent part of how we conduct business."

"The award is based upon the actual amount of energy consumed in a building per square footage," he added.

The Energy Star Award application score is based upon a 100-point scale focusing on a number of criteria that include management practices, organization-wide improvements and promoting and communicating success. Ultimately, the accolade is based on work completed and energy savings demonstrated on a yearly basis.

During the schools birth Corbin Independent Schools Superintendent Ed McNeel along with all the building’s stakeholders who included the school staff and board members met together to discuss ideas about creating an energy efficient building that could meet educational needs.

"The contracted architecture firm designed the building with two things in mind: energy efficiency and education," Wilder said. "Educationally we feel like we’ve achieved our goals as well as environmentally."

The architecture firm Sherman-Carter-Barnhart of Lexington designed the school with energy efficiency as a top priority. Consequently, applying for the Energy Star Award was a natural competition for the school to apply for according to Wilder.

"We have three pods and our media center as the focal point," Wilder added. "In the actual construction of the building we have geothermal windows."

In fact, the geothermal windows were treated to absorb heat in the winter and to absorb the coolness created from air conditioning during the summer. The windows are also tinted on their exterior to block ultra violent rays from the sun. From the exterior of the building the tint blocks visibility to prevent people from viewing inside while there is clear visibility from the interior looking outside. According to Wilder this creates a safe atmosphere for the students as well as the faculty by allowing privacy and promoting the health of everyone’s vision.

Located in fields on Corbin Primary School’s campus are three geothermal wells that circulate heat and cool air through pumps that give the building a 100 percent fresh air at all times.

"This was a team effort that began with our Superintendent Mr. McNeel and Mr. Darrell Tremaine, our Assistant Superintendent," Wilder explained. "They had a mission to have an energy efficient school."

"From the beginning we have also had a mission to conserve energy from an educational standpoint," Wilder said. "We turn lights off when they’re not in use. We make sure that doors are closed when they’re not in use. We make sure energy sources aren’t being used when they’re not needed."

Wilder contends that Corbin Primary Schools staff is continuing to strive to be even better and planning to win the award again in 2010. In order to achieve the award a second time, Wilder said that the entire school staff would need to take an even greater effort to conserve energy by turning off lights and projectors and closing the doors when they leave the classroom.

"The Technology staff make sure computers are going into sleep mode atomically after hours," Wilder explained. "The schools lighting system is maintained through electronic software that is programmed to shut the lights off at 4 p.m. daily. In a lot of aspects the building will run itself."

"We feel like it’s important to communicate to our students the importance of energy conservation especially as we go into the 21st Century," Wilder concluded. "It’s something we expect to instill in our students minds as they receive their education here."