Pearson pays big to save on energy

The Lester B. Pearson school board is not overly alarmed after inking an $11 million deal with Milwaukee, U.S.A.-based Johnson Controls to refit 27 of its buildings to cut down on energy consumption after the latter company announced a $193 million fiscal second-quarter loss in 2009.

"You don't want any of your suppliers to have a loss in any financial sector," said board chairman Marcus Tabachnick, but he added the board has faith in the company, having worked with them before in 2006 when they similarly fitted six of their high schools.

The contract is paid in part by grants the board will be receiving through the Quebec government and Hydro Quebec. "We will have to borrow some money, though," Tabachnick said.

The board issued a press release today after all suggested projects for their different schools and head office were approved by its council of commissioners at yesterday night's council meeting.

The list of changes cited by the board include a modernization of heating systems at most of its schools, solar walls at Margaret Manson Elementary in Kirkland and Lasalle Community High School, and centralized controls and motion detectors in many classrooms to automatically control the lights.

The board said it should be able to cut down CO2 emissions by 5,500 tons per year, and make savings of $1 million a year in energy costs. "It's the equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road per year," Tabachnick said.

Johnson Controls announced its financial loss last week, but blamed it largely on a steep decline in its automotive division, rather than its building efficiency sector. "We believe the automotive improvement, combined with the solid profitability of our building efficiency and power solutions businesses, will enable us to report positive earnings for the remainder of 2009," said company chairman and chief executive Stephen A. Roell in a statement.

The statement also suggested building efficiency sales were globally down by two per cent but increased "slightly" in North America.

Pearson communications officer Daniela Scoppa said all projects should be finished by December 2010. "They're going to do the bulk of (the work) this summer," she said, leaving only non-intrusive work, such as changing lights, for the school year itself.

According to Tabachnick, the school board, like all public institutions in the province, has to meet energy reduction standards set by the Quebec government by September 2010.