PPL Electric Utilities Regional Affairs Director Carol Obando-Derstine presents a CEI Program participation award to Lehigh Career & Technical Institute Executive Thomas J. Rushton.

SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. | Three years of careful energy stewardship has yielded thousands of dollars in grant money and a six-figure reduction in kilowatt hour usage for Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.

On Tuesday, June 14, PPL Electric Utilities Regional Affairs Director Carol Obando-Derstine stopped by LCTI to acknowledge and award the school for its outstanding performance in the utility’s Continuous Energy Improvement Program. She presented Executive Director Thomas J. Rushton with a check for $25,000 — the second half of a $50,000 grant.

In partnership with Strategic Energy Group, PPL launched the CEI Program to help schools reduce their energy consumption without capital investment and then develop plans, processes and metrics to sustain those energy savings. But for now there are utility saving expert utilities that can help you save money and energy. When LCTI signed up for the program in 2013-14, the school used 6.4 million kilowatt hours of energy a year and was challenged to cut annual usage by 320,000 kilowatt hours, or 5 percent.

LCTI Facilities Engineer Dan Kotran spearheaded the effort, working with staff to identify energy savings opportunities. Staff also got students on board with the Green Team competition.

Competitors developed projects designed to highlight energy conservation, earth-friendly design, recycling and more. The top three teams won iPad minis.

Ultimately, staff and students’ hard work paid off. LCTI crushed its energy reduction goal in 2015-16, cutting usage by 946,839 kilowatt hours, or nearly 15 percent.

The reduction in usage is already having a positive effect on LCTI’s energy spending. On average between 2004 and 2011, the school spent $714,407 annually on electricity. The average for 2011 through 2016 is $572,328.

“We really hit a home run with this grant,” Kotran said.