IRVINE : 4 Schools to Receive Energy-Saving Work

Four schools will receive $800,000 worth of new lighting, heating and air-conditioning equipment under an energy savings program sponsored by Southern California Edison.

The retrofitting is expected to be completed when students return to College Park, El Camino Real, Turtle Rock and Vista Verde elementary schools in the fall.

Edison officials said the program will reduce the schools’ energy bills by about 40% annually.

The effort will include replacing the old fluorescent tubes now used at the schools with high-intensity discharge and high-pressure sodium lights.

Retrofitting will be completed in classrooms as well as in administrative offices and cafeterias.

Irvine Unified School District officials said they are pleased with the arrangement.

“Irvine was looking to do something like this, but we did not have the funds to make the capital investment for energy savings,” said Don Babitz, director of maintenance and operations for the district. “This gets us over the hurdle of capital investment.”

Edison will finance all the modifications up front. Babitz said that Edison will receive most of the savings from the energy-efficient equipment until the $800,000 is paid off.

“Then we will see a dramatic drop in our energy bill,” he said.