Ohio School Gains Updated Cooling and Lighting — and Functional Atomic Clock

An Ohio school district tackled its outdated energy systems with the help of an energy service company and regained a functioning atomic clock in the process. Howland Local Schools worked with Plug Smart to implement new air conditioning and LED lighting.

Along with those infrastructure updates, the district launched a capital campus campaign to raise funds and make the community aware of the district's aging facilities. As part of that initiative, the schools ran a contest asking students to give their best guesses about "What made the clock stop?" The clock, which resides in the tower of the high school, ceased functioning many decades ago. Suggestions from the students included lightning strikes, the arrival of aliens, global warming and a solar eclipse.

In addition to dealing with the broken clock, the district was in urgent need of modernized cooling systems and more energy efficient lighting. Plug Smart structured a replacement program for the air conditioning units in the high school, middle school and three elementary schools, along with installation of more energy-efficient lighting that's expected to cut the district's electric bill by 53 percent, offsetting its own cost in under 10 years, according to the company.

Plug Smart also tapped its own community service funds to fix the clock. That part of the work was jobbed out to a regional specialty firm, which used as many of the legacy parts as possible in the repair.

"While Howland may never know why the clock stopped working, we'll always remember why it started again: This team banded together and addressed these problems without putting the burden on the taxpayers," said Superintendent, Kevin Spicher, in a statement. "Not only will Plug Smart's energy efficiency project installations help us to create a more comfortable learning environment for our students, but they will also aid us in reducing our ongoing energy costs and carbon footprint."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

  • Midland ISD Starts Construction on Two New High Schools

    The Midland Independent School District recently announced that it will break ground on two new high schools in Midland, Texas, according to a news release. The district is partnering with Pfluger Architects, Lee Lewis Construction, and Satterfield & Pontikes to create a total of over 1.5 million square feet for 8,400 students in grades 9–12.

  • University of Kentucky Stormwater Harvesting System Receives Award

    The Utilities and Energy Management team from the University of Kentucky recently received a Grand Award at the 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards, according to a university news release. The award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Kentucky was for the university’s Central Utility Plant (CUP) Stormwater Harvesting System, which activated in fall 2023.

  • Greenheck Launches Optics Sensors for Kitchen Hoods

    Greenheck recently announced the launch of factory-installed optics sensors as an enhanced option for its kitchen ventilation hoods, according to a news release.

Digital Edition