Performance contracts was a capital boost to struggling school district

Building Operating Management, Aug 2000

The Widefield School District 3, located in Colorado Springs, Colo., was facing the problem of dwindling public funding. Many of the district's 18 buildings were in need of capital funds to make infrastructure improvements and building additions.

The Trane Company had recently completed a system installation at the local high school and learned of the district's situation. Trane met with Gene Cosby, Widefield Schools superintendent, to introduce the Performance Agreement for Comfort from Trane (PACT) program and proposed a $2.6 million project that would be funded through the annual savings resulting from building improvements.

The program, which was customized to include as many deferred maintenance projects as possible, balanced utility and operating cost savings with needed building upgrades.

First, a Tracer Summit building management system was installed throughout the district to provide better occupancy scheduling and reduce utility consumption. A district-wide lighting retrofit improved light levels and reduced energy consumption. Heating and cooling units in two schools were replaced to provide more comfort and better indoor air quality. A boiler was replaced at one of the elementary schools to improve efficiency and reliability, and cut maintenance costs.

The aggressive project schedule allowed only seven months for completion.

The PACT program guarantees annual savings of $322,000 over 10 years. Service, monitoring and training are provided to maintain the installed systems.

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