Gery Juleff, Sustainability Manager and Ecology Teacher reports on the effect of our solar panels.
Our solar panels went ‘live’ in September 2022 and we now have enough data to draw some conclusions. The school has saved a significant amount of money and the solar panels have saved considerable CO2 emissions.
Calculating savings via cost comparisons for pre and post-solar was no easy task given that the period before going solar included the pandemic and the use, for a time, of a 3rd party energy supplier. Nevertheless, Mr. Juleff, supported by math teacher Mrs. Schur, grappled with the numbers and came to some reliable conclusions: monthly electricity costs are down about 47% and the school is saving from $27,000-$37,000 per year! In addition, the solar energy produced has saved the equivalent of 485,000 lbs of CO2 emissions, or 3,666 trees planted.
Head of School, Mrs O’Brian said, “This has been a great success for the school. In addition to the significant savings, we are also making a statement about our commitment to a clean energy future. Maria Montessori understood clearly the importance of nature to children’s development. At Princeton Montessori, this includes an emphasis on exposing the students to the beauty of nature and backing that up by taking positive, practical steps. This helps our budget and the plant – truly a win-win.”
Mr Juleff also noted that the school would benefit even further via referral payments if any member of our community decided to install solar on their houses and used Plankton’s local partner, Green Power Energy. Contact Mr Juleff at gery.juleff@princetonmontessori.org for further information.
