Phillip Hacker
Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds
Kettering (Ohio) City School District
Maintenance and engineering managers who save their organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars can help top management understand the crucial role their departments play in the organization’s success. Managers in public school districts who can do it at no cost to taxpayers might get a building named after them.
For Philip Hacker, supervisor of buildings and grounds with the Kettering (Ohio) City School District, the challenge in achieving the latter goal was complicated by activities within his facilities. In late 2013, the district took steps to reduce electric consumption in its buildings based on an audit funded by the local utility. The audit revealed a menu of significant energy-saving opportunities. Funding for the $2.4 million project funding came via a state law that enabled the district to borrow funds without any expense to taxpayers.
The district has reduced its energy use by 37 percent in the last five years. The biggest challenge came from coordinating the improvements at all 15 of its properties. In addition, all the work needed to take place outside of operating hours, and that proved to be difficult when some locations operate 16 hours each day.
