LADWP and LAUSD Renew Agreement to Enhance Energy and Water Efficiency at Local Schools

Mayor Garcetti applauds partnership that will help Save the Drop and conserve energy

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced the renewal of the “Conserving for Our Kids” Program to support energy and water efficiency at local school campuses. The partnership between LADWP and its largest customer will extend the program over the next three years from 2015 through 2018, providing measures that include the installation of efficient power and water fixtures as well as stormwater capture projects on LAUSD properties.

LADWP will provide up to $45.3 million over three years in LADWP staff support for program implementation, and partial funding for pilot stormwater capture projects, on-campus water conservation projects, and efficiency curricula. The investment is expected to conserve more than 300 million gallons of water and over 54.6 million kWh of power over the next three years, saving the district utility costs and LADWP approximately $54 million in energy generation and water supply expenses. The partnership with LAUSD will help meet LADWP’s aggressive energy efficiency and water conservation goals. In August 2014, LADWP’s Board adopted a ten-year energy efficiency target to achieve 15 percent savings in electricity use by 2020. In November 2014, Mayor Eric Garcetti issued Executive Directive No. 5 requiring the City to reduce its water use by 20 percent by 2017.

“With the ‘Conserving for Our Kids’ program, LADWP is investing in the future of energy efficiency and water conservation in our local schools to ensure dollars are spent on our classrooms rather than on utility bills,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “More than just saving dollars and cents for our LAUSD, this program also helps our City reach its energy and water savings goals and creates a new generation of environmental stewards.”

“The primary mission of LA Unified is instruction. This partnership will teach students how to save water and energy, an important lesson,” Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said.

“LADWP is pleased to renew the ‘Conserving for Our Kids’ program with our partners at LAUSD to enhance our collaboration on finding water and energy efficiency opportunities in our schools,” said LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards. “The agreement approved by our Board will allow us to save both water and electricity while also supporting L.A. schools. This is a valuable investment that will enhance learning opportunities for schoolchildren while saving money through increased conservation.”

As LAUSD’s property portfolio is one of the largest in the city, the program will help target some of the oldest and most inefficient buildings, greatly reducing their operating costs while also helping LADWP meet its strict conservation goals. Under this agreement, LADWP will provide the following services:

• Direct installation of energy-efficient upgrades for schools at a cost of up to $12 million a year, with 18.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) saved per year. This includes lighting fixtures, air conditioning units, improved electrical systems, and motion detectors for lights.  
• Incentives for installation of water conservation measures at up to $2.4 million in the first year of the agreement, with 104.6 million gallons saved per year. This includes high-efficiency urinals and toilets in the various LAUSD facilities.
• Project management services to ensure state-funded Proposition 39 energy efficiency projects result in verified energy savings under LADWP’s programs, expected to save 25 to 30 million kWh per year
• Pilot efficiency programs for educational outreach, clean technologies and stormwater capture projects at up to $2 million per year.

LAUSD will continue to develop a myriad of water and energy programs and projects as part of the agreement’s implementation. An example of one already in development is LAUSD’s Water Awareness Challenge, a contest between schools that seeks input from students about how they can save water at their school and in their community. One project within the contest is the “Bucket Brigade”, where students will actively seek out any potential water waste in their schools, capture the water in buckets and use it for beneficial purposes like watering landscapes. The “Conserving for Our Kids” program will help fund the winning project and will provide learning tools like buckets, stickers and other materials.

One of the other benefits of the “Conserving for Our Kids” program is the creation and retention of well-paying local jobs through the participation of Utility Pre-Craft Trainees (UPCT). This program provides pre-apprenticeship training for entry-level workers who are interested in utility industry careers, but don’t necessarily have previous experience. UPCT provides the opportunity for trainees to learn a wide variety of skills and allows them to explore various career options. UPCT has been widely regarded as a model for entry-level workforce training in the green economy. 

The original “Conserving for Our Kids” agreement ran for two years from 2012 through 2014. The activities conducted under the last agreement resulted in energy savings of roughly 16 million kWh per year, equivalent to the energy used by 2,667 residential homes. The new agreement will seek to expand on these initial efforts and take advantage of the many opportunities for energy and water savings at LAUSD facilities.

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