• ACES PLu$

    The Next Generation of Savings

     Comprehensive, efficient, and smart management of energy consumption and services offers New Jersey’s school districts a significant opportunity to reduce costs, maintain and enhance reliability, and reduce carbon intensity. Following the hard lessons learned from super storm Sandy, it is also imperative that energy and facility systems be strengthened so they are available during emergencies. With the recently mandated 2% tax cap, districts in New Jersey are facing ever increasing financial pressure and are forced to find innovative ways to reduce their operating costs while continuing to maintain and reliably deliver education based services. 

    Forward looking districts have learned that creative operational procedures and technologies that are sustainable and improve the environment can help to balance a tightening budget, as well as offer educational and cooperative benefits to a school and community.

    For over a decade, the ACES Program, with NJASA as a co-sponsor, has taken the first step in energy cost savings for Districts throughout the State. ACES — an energy procurement program with the New Jersey School Boards Association as lead agency — has realized more than $200 million in energy savings for more than 430 local districts through the competitive procurement of electricity and natural gas in the State of New Jersey.

    NJASA and NJSBA have now initiated the next generation of cost savings strategies: ACES PLu$.

    With an ever more complex energy service marketplace, ACES PLu$ will provide objective and unbiased advice to help districts navigate through the financial and technical issues related to implementing enhanced and cost reducing renewable, energy efficiency and other sustainability and energy security measures at school facilities – all at no cost to participating districts.

    ACES PLu$ can provide the resources to connect the implementation of energy services with tailored education curricula which will provide students, administrators, staff, and local residents the opportunity to participate in sustainability efforts which enhance facility management and educational goals.

    ACES PLu$ will provide a customized menu of implementation services so that districts can choose the path that works best for them:

    § Solar and Renewable Energy ACES PLu$ will undertake the feasibility, procurement, and construction administration activities to develop renewable energy projects that will reduce energy costs to districts.

     

    § SREC Sale and Aggregation ACES PLu$ will assist districts in the marketing and sale of SRECS generated by their on-site solar arrays. ACES PLu$ can also allow districts to aggregate together to reduce procurement costs and offer larger and more favorable packages to SREC purchasers.

     

    § Energy Efficiency and Sustainability ACES PLu$ will provide a full service implementation program leading to the assessment, planning, financing, contracting, installation, third party verification, commissioning and performance monitoring of energy efficiency measures including Energy Savings Improvement Programs (ESIP).

     

    § Electric Demand Response ACES PLu$ can help districts identify the possible areas of energy curtailment and provide the procurement assistance and contractual mechanism for districts to realize additional revenues.

     

    § Security and Other Measures ACES PLu$ has the flexibility to provide services specific to the needs of individual districts, including consideration of energy storage and alternative generation technologies which may allow portions of a facility to operate independent of the local electric grid.


    Today’s expanding energy marketplace presents a host of strategies for smart energy management and cost reductions. All the strategies described above should be considered when assessing improvements in energy use at Board of Education facilities. While each facility is unique, and requires a specific approach, there are significant savings to be realized – both in terms of dollars and the cost to our environment. 

    Interested districts should contact Isaac Gabel-Frank at 732-296-0770 or isaac@gabelassociates.com for further discussion and initial consultation with the ACES PLu$ team.