Don't tell students at Harris Bilingual Elementary School in Fort Collins, Colo., that perfection can't be attained. They know better.

That's because their school received a 100 on its energy audit from the Energy Star program. More than 200 schools have been rated by the joint Environmental Protection Agency/Department of Energy program, but Harris Elementary was the first to get a perfect score. Three other schools in the Poudre School District also earned passing grades of 75 or more.

They didn't do it alone, though. Fort Collins Utilities, Platte River Power Authority, and Western, along with others, worked with the school district to assess energy efficiency.

"The Energy Star Program is part of an ongoing program," said Stuart Reeve, PSD energy manager. " Our partnership with Western, Fort Collins, and PRPA goes back seven or eight years."

Built in 1919

Given its score, you might think that Harris Elementary students study in a shiny new building. In fact, the school was built in 1919, making it among the oldest in the district. Its stellar performance on the energy audit shows that any building-old or new-can be energy efficient.

"The building's age actually turned out to be an advantage," Reeve said. "It had simple systems. The retrofits complemented the fact that this was an older building."

The district replaced all the old windows and doors. The large windows contribute to energy savings through natural light, and they also open and close to allow ventilation. The building's main heating system also was replaced.

But energy efficiency doesn't depend on the building alone. "As we started to work with the schools, I was amazed at the number of custodians, food service workers, administrators, and teachers who said they tried to be energy conscious," Reeve said. "They didn't know they were doing such a good job!"

Benchmarking efficiency

While 25 PSD schools have been audited, only four have earned the Energy Star rating. That's not a negative, however. The review process shows the school district what changes need to be made at other schools.

"That's what Energy Star is all about," said Reeve. "It helps schools benchmark on a national level. If the building doesn't perform well, it tells us where we need to go." PSD plans to use information from the audits to guide future efficiency efforts.

More than 70 energy-efficient projects in the PSD have led to annual savings of more than $200,000, according to Reeve. That's a substantial amount of extra cash for the district to put back in the classroom.

"Through efficiency, less money goes to the utility company and more goes to the schools," Reeve explained. "It also teaches students and staff about the impacts of energy use on the environment."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. schools spend more money on energy than on textbooks and computers combined. Up to one-third of the energy used could be eliminated through smart energy management. EPA says the most inefficient schools use nearly four times as much energy per square foot as the schools with the best energy performance, creating a huge opportunity for savings.

There's another benefit, too. According to EPA, "Schools that are well lit, well ventilated, and in good repair create a healthy, comfortable learning and teaching environment. A better physical environment is among the factors that contribute to learning and productivity in the classroom, which in turn affect performance and achievement."

New schools sustainable

The district plans to use Energy Star guidelines when building five new schools over the next 10 years.

"We're developing a new, sustainable building plan for an elementary school," Reeve said. "We'll go to bid in March or early April. The preliminary design scored a 98 on the Energy Star rating system. We're hoping it will serve as a model for the other new elementary schools."

Before beginning the design process, PSD put together a team to look at integrated design and sustainability, research building materials, and offer other technical support. Both Fort Collins Utilities and PRPA have been part of this effort, which began a full year before the bidding process.

"We look for as many experts as we can," Reeve explained. "We've gotten a lot of support, feedback, and good ideas. It's been a very lucrative partnership.

Attracting attention

"The design has gotten a lot of attention," he added. "The City of Fort Collins gave us $30,000 for design assistance. The State Office of Energy Management and Conservation gave us $15,000, and PRPA gave us a total package of $18,000 toward commissioning."

This funding has helped to offset some upfront costs of energy-efficient construction. There's often a tendency to base construction decisions on first costs, Reeve explained. "Building in efficiency takes more money at the front end, but it results in savings in the long run," he added. "We end up actually building a better building."

Efficiency has also helped the district put more money back in the classrooms. As the country faces escalating energy costs, and as Americans look for ways to get more return on their investment in education, the Energy Star program offers a way to save energy, reduce costs, and free more money to improve the quality of education facilities and resources.

Schools can see how they rate by using Energy Star's on-line Portfolio Manager. Information required for rating includes:

Wanted: Utilities to participate in Energy Star Across Western's 15-state service territory, more than 131 schools have earned the Energy Star label. Nationwide the total is 216. While these schools benefit from lower energy bills, most still pay more for energy than they need to. Energy Star is ready to help. Utilities that want to promote efficiency and increase community involvement can contact their regional Energy Star coordinator. "We'd like to promote the Energy Star program through utilities," said Patty Crow, Energy Star manager for Division 8 of the Environmental Protection Agency. "We're interested in working with utilities wherever possible. We encourage them to use the Energy Star platform for their programs. "It's a good fit for them," she added. "And it's good for us, too. It's a win-win situation." Schools aren't the only focus of the Energy Star program. Residential, commercial and industrial energy efficiency are also targeted, along with energy-efficient appliances and electronic equipment. In fact, the various Energy Star programs have merged. Instead of different programs with different technologies and separate Web pages, the program is now presenting a unified face. The programs launched a new Web site at the end of January: www.energystar.com. No matter what sort of energy efficiency program a utility is considering, Energy Star is a good place to begin.