Energy and Sustainability Initiatives

  • Hillsborough County Public Schools has put many unique partnerships in place to support environmental responsibility and sustainability.

    The district engages in the following practices to support energy management:

    • Building Automation
    • Recycling
    • LED Lighting
    • Roofing Projects
    • Green Teams

    Along with these efforts, the district has also partnered with Generate Capital to fund a large-scale operational efficiency initiative.  Through this work, McKinstry, an engineering and contracting firm that designs sustainable solutions to improve energy performance, has been tasked with assisting Hillsborough County Public Schools to improve efficiency, collaborate on capital planning, and monitor energy-related indicators across the district.

    Over the next several years, through this partnership, our district expects to reduce energy spending by more than 30%, improve the comfort of learning environments, create resilient buildings, and build student and community engagement.  Energy savings result from lighting changes, roofing projects, and HVAC replacements.

    HCPS Green Teams are a site-based element of our energy management and sustainability plans.  Green Teams collaborate with a variety of firms to equip our students and district employees with the education and awareness needed to make an impact in the world—and provides them with the tools necessary to be part of the energy-saving solution.

Our Goals

    • Reduce total energy consumption and operating costs by at least 20%
    • Provide safe, comfortable, and clean learning environments
    • Foster a sense of environmental stewardship among all stakeholders
    • Implement industry best practices related to facilities and building automation

Outcomes

    • HCPS fields more than 20,000 maintenance requests per quarter. Of these, about 1,000 are considered Emergency Requests.
    • The total volume of Reactive Maintenance Requests has decreased by 11%.
    • The completion rate for Reactive Maintenance Requests during Q4 of 2023 was 84%.
    • The completion rate for Proactive Maintenance Requests during Q4 of 2023 was 59%.
    • The average response time for Emergency Requests was 31 minutes during Q4 of 2023.
    • Of the 12 mechanical HVAC vendors doing Maintenance work for the district, 8 of these exceeded a 70% completion rate.
  • Energy Program logo

  • little girl in McKinstry hard hat