ELLISVILLE, Miss. 鈥� “Virtute et Armis,” the Mississippi state motto, translates from Latin as “power in weapons” (if you believe Google Translate). Thanks to Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls, however, three of its high schools may soon consider adopting a new motto 鈥� maybe something like “power and conversation.”
Johnson Controls has inked an agreement to improve critical equipment, systems and infrastructure in Jones County School District鈥檚 three high schools in Ellisville in an effort to transform the environment, operation and energy efficiency of the facilities. The schools include Northeast Jones High, South Jones High and West Jones High, and the school district will leverage the guaranteed energy savings to fund the improvements. About $300,364 in savings is expected for the first year and more than $4.2 million in savings, over the life of the 12-year project.
鈥淛ones County School District鈥檚 top priority is providing its students with the best education and learning environment possible,鈥� said Brad Mason, account executive of Johnson Controls, in a statement. 鈥淭hrough this partnership, we鈥檙e pleased to help the district further this mission and enable improvements for years to come, and having a local, established partner like Howard Industries makes this project even more important to the county鈥檚 economy.鈥�
The company鈥檚 Performance Infrastructure leaders and school district leaders partnered to assess and prioritize improvements including upgrading existing lighting with custom LED solutions, provided by , and replacing outdated energy management control systems.
Johnson Controls Infrastructure Projects Enabled by ESPC
The Jones County School District projects are enabled by a $2.79 million (ESPC) with Johnson Controls. Over the past three decades, Johnson Controls has implemented more than 3,000 ESPC projects across the nation. The company estimates that the combined utility savings on behalf of its clients is in the billions. This approach to implementing such projects helps publicly funded entities make capital improvements over protracted payback periods. The long-term benefits of this and similar arrangements are improved facility efficiency, occupant comfort, financial management and environmental protection. Moreover, energy usage data will be reported to the Energy and Natural Resources Division on a semi-annual basis.
鈥淛ohnson Controls’ ability to provide systems integration, implementation, maintenance and training, and to stay within our projected budget was the big factor in the district and the board鈥檚 decision to embark on this project,鈥� said Tommy Parker, Jones County School District superintendent, in a statement. 鈥淭his will be an asset not only to our teachers and staff, but also, more importantly, to our students; and the fact that Johnson Controls was able to partner with Howard Industries right here in Ellisville makes this project even more special.鈥�