Last year, California voters approved Proposition 39, which will provide as much as $500 million annually for energy efficiency upgrades at California public schools, and some of those projects are gearing up, reports the Business Journal.
Proposition 39 was passed in November 2012 to close a corporate tax loophole that benefited out-of-state corporations. It will generate about $1 billion annually for California with half of the money going to the general fund and half toward measures designed to save energy at schools. The energy efficiency funds will be available for five years.
Fresno Unified School District is getting $3.5 million, the third most in the state behind Long Beach and Los Angeles, and the money is expected to arrive in January, reports the news site. The Fresno Unified School District is working on energy audits and retrofit plans. After the California Energy Commission approves its plan, the district will begin upgrades at 30 or 40 sites. Projects are expected to include modernization of lighting, windows, building envelopes and HVAC.
The Business Journal cites a report from the Center for the Next Generation, which says California’s 10,569 public schools spend around $700 million per year on energy. The energy efficiency upgrades financed by Proposition 39 funds are projected to save about 30 percent in energy costs per school, or $230 million across the entire state system.