Customer Profile: Sweet Home Central School District is a K-12 public school district located in Amherst, NY. The district consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school with a total enrollment of approximately 3,350 students.
Stark Tech integrated a building automation system throughout the Sweet Home School District more than 35 years ago and has integrated several systems in each of the district’s facilities since then.
The school district’s population has increased over the years, and the district identified the construction of new school buildings as a critical need to meet the growing demand. The new facility designs sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while keeping students safe, comfortable, and focused on learning.
During construction, Stark Tech audited the district’s energy consumption and identified energy conservation measures to aid in the energy and operational efficiencies of the buildings. Sweet Home Middle School, for example, was one of the first schools in the region to have air-conditioned classrooms.
Project Overview: Stark Tech’s relationship with the customer, which was established in 1988, began when the district transitioned from pneumatics to EcoStruxure smart technology. Within that system, Stark Tech recently provided upgrades to operate and control the Middle School’s central air system and other HVAC systems throughout the district.
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Platform automates and standardizes operations of buildings, aiding in key performance indicators for energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality.
Protective Systems:: In an effort to ensure student, faculty, and staff safety, measures were also implemented to help streamline notification and communications in the event of an emergency. With the assistance of the school’s safety team, local law enforcement, and Stark Tech, a new solution was designed and implemented.
The Telecor Crisis Notification System is designed to automate notification regarding student, staff, and visitor safety. In the event of a lockdown, this system features a panic button-initiated response that includes redundant calls to 9-1-1, building lockdown alert message over the public address system speakers, visual strobe lighting on the interior and exterior of the building, emergency displays located in larger gathering areas, and text and email notification to district officials launching the Incident Response Protocols.
Results: Our team continues to provide energy-efficient building management through our Annual Preventative Maintenance Service Agreement – enabling Sweet Home to reduce operating costs, replace inefficient equipment, improve classroom environments, and allocate school budgets to focus on education.
Through NYS/OGS Contract, an Energy Services Performance Contract, and OpEx cost management, Sweet Home has been able to further invest in student education funding. Every school in the district has received ENERGY STAR certifications for the energy and operational improvements Stark Tech has integrated throughout the years.
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Stark Tech is a market leading technology provider, delivering turnkey solutions with master systems integration, equipment, and service, and building analytics that drive sustainability goals and keep facilities on their mission. Stark Tech also manufacturers large, skidded equipment that decarbonizes and reduces greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy sources and by converting waste into renewable natural gas.
