Lindsay Unified School District Authorizes Second Wave of Energy Infrastructure Modernizations

‍LINDSAY, CA - On Oct. 14, 2019, Lindsay Unified School District’s (LUSD) Board of Trustees authorized a second wave of energy infrastructure and sustainability modernizations.

“We’re embodying our mission to ‘empower and motivate for today and tomorrow’ by initiating Phase II of this energy infrastructure investment,” said LUSD Superintendent Thomas Rooney.“It was a natural choice for our board after reflecting on the benefits of the first phase of energy improvements. We’re thrilled to add more ‘green’ features to our schools so, as a district, wecan continue becoming more resilient and fiscally healthy.”

The initiative is a follow-up to the District’s 2017 energy audit and consequent LED lighting and networked temperature controls, which have enhanced LUSD student comfort and reaped general fund savings over the last year. The audit, conducted by Climatec, a provider of building technologies and energy solutions, identified additional infrastructure needs and sustainability opportunities that the District plans to address during the second phase of the districtwide energy infrastructure program.

Phase II includes:

Installing interior LED lighting across 12 sites
Extending the existing energy management system to two more campuses
Installing high-efficiency heating and cooling units at three sites
Implementing solar photovoltaic arrays at three sites

LUSD authorized the investment of approximately $3.3 million for the project which will garner more than $8 million in savings over the life of the new equipment. The District was able to secure 100 percent of project funds through a combination of Southern California Edison’s no- interest On-Bill Financing program and low-interest, tax-exempt private funding. This innovative financing solution funded the project without any need for capital or bond funds.

“We’re empowering our learners, staff and leadership by pursuing more for our district, and by extension, our community,” said Grant Schimelpfening, LUSD chief business official. “We’re grateful to our partners, like Climatec and SCE, for making this project possible. Through our partnerships, and with our community’s support, we’re getting to add improvements at little cost but great benefit to the District.”

Together, Phases I and II will reduce LUSD’s annual electric consumption by about 1,439,776 kWh. This is equivalent to taking 207 cars off the road, saving 112,423 gallons of gasoline, preserving 29,616 trees from deforestation and powering 148 American homes. Adding to the environmental savings, pollutants, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitric dioxide will decrease considerably.

“The upgrades completed to date and projected for the future are a testament to Lindsay USD’s adaptability and innovativeness,” said Tyler Girtman, LUSD regional manager at Climatec. “There are multiple benefits that come with energy infrastructure improvements, like positioning students to succeed, reaping significant financial and energy savings, efficiently using vital resources, the list goes on. At Climatec, we’re proud to help make these benefits a reality for cities and school districts, like LUSD, who want to make California more ‘green.’”
For the next few months, LUSD will post updates to its social media, sharing Phase II’s developments with its students, staff and the community-at-large.

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About Lindsay Unified School District

Lindsay Unified School District serves the Lindsay community across its 10 schools. The learning facilitators, leaders, and support staff in Lindsay Unified are proven professionals with an impressive record of dedicated service to the learners they serve. In Lindsay Unified, all learners are educated by people that are highly skilled, caring, compassionate, and persistent in maintaining high levels of academic rigor. The team consists of innovative, dedicated, committed people who are focused on learning and really believe in our learners. Follow LUSD on Facebook at facebook.com/Lindsay-Unified-School-District-269725410208557; Twitter @Lindsay_USD; Instagram @lindsayunified and YouTube (The Lindsay Unified Story).

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The Inflation Reduction Act – What Every Public Entity Needs to Know

With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, the federal government has signed up for an unprecedented, long-term investment in the clean energy sector here in the USA. The high-level objectives of the IRA are to: cut inflation, create jobs and spur domestic manufacturing–all while investing in the much-needed renewal of public infrastructure. Investments in electrification and clean energy production–plus the funding to motivate public entities to act–are noteworthy given the political stalemate in Congress for the past few years.

Public sector entities (cities, counties, schools, colleges, universities and water districts, to name a few) now have access to significant federal funding (30% to 60%+) to help offset the costs of eligible clean energy and electrification projects. Funding via other grants, such as Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants (EECBG), adds to the pool of monies available to fund these investments, and ultimately, address failing or inefficient infrastructure.

LONG-TERM, DIRECT TAX CREDITS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR

As is typical with the federal government’s grant and funding programs, the devil is in the details. In this case, the Department of Energy, the Treasury Department (yes, the IRS), the Transportation Administration and others, have a hand in creating the programs and regulations that disperse IRA funds. More importantly, as non-tax payers, local governments, schools and special districts historically have not benefited from the traditional Investment Tax Credits (ITC) of 30%. In the past, public entities had to rely on private investors with tax equity to fund these projects using complex third-party power purchase agreements (PPAs). That changes now.

From 2024 through 2033, the IRA authorizes direct-pay, investment tax credits to public entities who build long-term clean energy assets, such as solar photovoltaic and energy storage systems; small wind systems; geothermal-powered heating and cooling systems; electric vehicle charging stations; and related infrastructure. Even though you don’t pay taxes, you now receive these tax incentives as a direct payment in the form of a rebate towards your energy project.

CASH PAYMENTS TO OFFSET 30% OR MORE OF INSTALLATION COSTS

The IRA provides tax credit funds for an unlimited number of qualifying energy projects across the U.S. over the next 10 years.

The base tax credit under the IRA starts at 30% of eligible system costs. For typical systems under 1 Megawatt (MW) in size (per tax year), it may increase with entitlements of 10% for designated low-income areas, 10% for labor compliance requirements, 10% for community solar projects, plus up to 20% for systems located in designated Energy Communities. Systems exceeding 1 MW in size must comply with strict labor compliance and domestic content regulations to receive the tax credit subsidies.

Keep in mind that federal tax credit will be reduced by 15% if tax-exempt funds (e.g. municipal leases, tax-exempt bonds, etc.) are combined to pay for eligible systems.

A chart from Statista showing how the Inflation Reduction Act will affect U.S. emissions — Source: Martin Armstrong, Statista

TAX FORMS AND FILINGS ARE REQUIRED TO RECEIVE PAYMENT

Since fiscal public officials will be required to review, approve and file tax forms, you’re strongly recommended to consult your municipal financial advisor or tax professional regarding your IRA application strategy.

A public entity must first pay the cost of installing the eligible system, place the system into service, file a pre-registration form with the IRS and then wait for the IRS to respond with a system registration number. Once the public entity has the registration number, the special tax forms for your tax credit application are filed with your annual tax filing.

START NOW, OR YOU WILL LOSE OUT ON A TREMENDOUS FEDERAL SUBSIDY

As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” The federal government has set aside a huge amount of funding for eligible public sector entities, and you may only capitalize on these funds if you take ACTION.

Form a working group of stakeholders, create a realistic energy modernization plan, then issue an RFP to procure an experienced, full-service energy services firm. After the project is developed, implemented and placed in service, your municipal financial advisor will work with your energy services company to maximize the federal tax credit subsidies for your particular community. Not to mention, the program as a whole will allow you to check major boxes for your Climate Action Plan (CAP) and meet State mandates for greenhouse gas emission reductions before 2030.

California ratepayers saw utility expenditures double in the last 5 years as public utilities posed double-digit year-over-year rate increases. These trends are expected to continue. Many public agencies are finding traditional, piecemeal approaches fall short in today’s construction economy due to staff bandwidth constraints, cost escalations, labor shortages and supply chain disturbances. As operating and capital budgets tighten across the board, it’s incumbent upon public sector leaders to get smart on streamlined project delivery methods and creative funding solutions. With more funding available than ever before, now is the time to implement your climate action initiatives if you haven’t already.

Learn more about why public agencies should invest in energy infrastructure now.

AUTHORS

Thomas Jackson, Corporate Vice President Major Projects, Climatec LLC a Robert BOSCH Company
Bruce Dickinson, President, Eagle Energy Solutions, LLC

JIG-SAW partners with Climatec to bring Smart Stadium technology to San Diego Padres (MLB)

- Climatec and JIG-SAW partner to bring wayfinding technology to Petco Park.

- JIG-SAW’s IoT technology will be supported by Climatec in design, deployment, and service.

- Installed technology will reduce operational and maintenance costs, extend the life of equipment, and create improved amenities for Padres fans.

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San Diego, CA: JIG-SAW and Climatec, LLC. have partnered to transform Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, into a connected and intelligent venue using JIG-SAW IoT technology. Through this collaboration, JIG-SAW and Climatec will enable complete visibility and control of the stadium to make Petco Park the definitive sports experience for fans and the Padres. The first phase of the project will be complete in mid-August as the Padres unveil interactive signage providing wayfinding directions and showcasing promotions for fans.

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Earlier this year, JIG-SAW announced a partnership agreement with the San Diego Padres, an American professional baseball team competing in Major League Baseball (MLB), to provide JIG-SAW IoT technology for creating and managing networks of smart equipment. This technology will help the Padres by reducing operational and maintenance costs, extending the life cycle of equipment, and creating improved amenities for their fans.

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To integrate the unique applications enabled by JIG-SAW software, JIG-SAW partnered with Climatec, an industry leader for advanced building and energy solutions. This partnership is set to revolutionize the landscape by seamlessly integrating JIG-SAW's groundbreaking IoT communication software technology into a centralized command center, expertly supported by Climatec in design, deployment, and service.

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JIG-SAW’s IoT communication software technology provides an open and scalable foundation to connect and manage any device with any platform. The interactive signage and upcoming solutions will aggregate and analyze data by taking advantage of JIG-SAW IoT integration driver on Tridium’s Niagara, the connected product management platform for stadium operations. Climatec seeks to leverage the new capabilities that JIG-SAW software offers, integrating ready-to-deploy packages that reduce installation costs, simplify maintenance, and unleash invaluable data insights for data-driven decision making, supercharging operating revenue.

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JIG-SAW and Climatec will collaborate to solve the digital transformation challenges of the Padres stadium and promote the solutions as case studies for other residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional facility operators across the nation and beyond.

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About JIG-SAW

JIG-SAW is a software technology company that specializes in IoT Data Control Services. Our mission is to accelerate the time-to-market for IoT applications and bridge the operational technology (OT) and IT gap. For more information, visit https://www.jig-saw.com/

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About Climatec

A Bosch Company: For over 40 years, Climatec has steadily invested in the people, technology, and services needed to be its customers’ trusted business partner. Today, Climatec is one of the leading providers of building technology and energy solutions in the nation with over 1,000 associates across Arizona, California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Climatec’s technology partners include the world’s leading suppliers of building automation, security and life safety, and energy efficiency technologies. And since 2015, Climatec has proudly been part of the Robert Bosch group of companies. For further information see www.climatec.com.

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