Healthy Schools

ABM, S.C. District Partner on Energy Performance Contracting Program

• By Matt Jones
• 10/24/22

Facility solutions provider ABM recently announced that it has initiated an Energy Performance Contracting Program with the Abbeville County School District (ACSD) in South Carolina. A news release reports that the solution will modernize facility infrastructure in all the district’s schools and save the district about $4.9 million in energy and operating costs over the next 15 years. It will also offer general fund relief necessary to invest in future learning initiatives while also allowing the district to improve learning environments and improve indoor air quality for students and staff.

“The pandemic highlighted infrastructure needs nationwide, but it also required schools to invest more in alternative learning, teachers, and technology,” said ABM Technical Solutions President Mark Hawkinson. “We can do more for schools today than save them energy costs. We deliver solutions that address the capital investment needs and operating cost challenges schools face so they can best use funds for the benefit of students and teachers.”

The project will offer all eight ACSD schools and its Adult Education and Career Centers improved lighting, HVAC, and water conservation upgrades, as well as variable refrigerant flow units, to help the district save money. The flow units are designed to increase ventilation from outdoor air and provide bipolar ionization technology to increase indoor air quality.

Other solutions provided include building controls; sensors to measure outdoor air conditions as a method of maximizing system efficiency; and seismic, wind, and vibration hardware for hurricane and earthquake protection.

ABM has implemented its Energy Performance Contracting Program in more than 500 K–12 districts around the country to allow them to invest in important facility upgrades without drawing new funds from the community.

“We didn’t have a way to equitably upgrade our schools for all our students with our current spending structure,” said ACSD Superintendent Dr. Mason Gary. “ABM was able to put together a project that helped us better allocate our ESSER funds, transform our capital budget into an investment in our community assets, and free up our general fund to invest in teachers and educational initiatives for our students.”