The Covington County School District operates ten campuses that serve over 2,700 students in the Mississippi communities of Collins, Mount Olive, Hopewell, and Seminary. After facing some issues with school facilities, the district decided to leverage the state-approved Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) program to create guaranteed savings through efficiency upgrades.
The Covington County School District took the opportunity to utilize the allocations they received through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund along with guaranteed savings through ESPC. This method allows the district to create comprehensive improvements to the learning environment without taking from school resources.
The district chose Entegrity as their ESPC partner and began building a scope of work that would best benefit the district. Commenting on the project’s development, Superintendent Babette Duty stated, “There were so many things we needed to get done, and they all needed to start at the same time, it seemed. I couldn’t see how we could start a project that would allow Entegrity to be a partner at that point. Our Entegrity contact, Ryan Burrage, felt differently and that the time would present itself when we could. He also said he was in it for the long haul. I am glad he meant it!”
In December 2021, the School Board approved a scope that consists of replacing over 95% of the district’s existing HVAC systems, upgrading building controls, installing LED lighting, and implementing 439 ionization units to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne contaminants. The upgrades will create a guaranteed $135,000 in annual savings for the district after implementation.
An exciting improvement for student athletics, new HVAC systems and window upgrades will be installed in five of the district’s previously unconditioned gyms. The gyms will utilize ionization technology to aid in the mitigation of COVID-19 and make sporting events safer for both the players and spectators.
“I’m proud to be able to practice Covington County School District’s mission to effectively educate all of our students by developing a project to enhance their learning environments. These upgrades will make it easier on the district to continue our work as well as create savings for us to invest in other opportunities for our students,” stated Rita Clark, Business Manager for the district.
