Tuxedo Park School is Going Green

Tuxedo Park School Going Green

The private school – on its high perch over Tuxedo Lake inside the gated community – may have been built in the early 20th century, but its leaders have positioned it for the future.

On the roof of the primary- school building are 218 metal panels that convert sunlight into energy, installed this summer by workers from Brooklyn-based Solar Energy Systems.

The school's use of solar panels, known as photovoltaic systems, is the latest method by which it can be more energy efficient amid a growing enthusiasm nationwide for reducing carbon footprints.

The sheen off the slick state-of-the-art technology is juxtaposed to the 1915 structure, assembled with muted red brick and limestone quoins.

"It is a great example to our children and our parents about our commitment to be a greener and more sustainable school," Headmaster James Burger said.

Operational since mid-July, the photovoltaic system is generating 115 kilowatt-hours of energy per day – and in the past month, 6,700 kilowatt-hours.

The school consumes 200,000 kilowatts in a year, Burger said. That equates to an energy bill of about $40,000. Burger believes the solar panels can reduce that annual cost by as much as a quarter.

Of course, these savings come at a price.

Though the school had to borrow $169,000 to pay for the local share, a state subsidy halved the total cost of the project, valued at about $450,000.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority awarded Tuxedo Park School a grant that provided 50 percent funding for the installation. Additionally, the authority's partnership with M&T Bank allowed for prime financing of the project.

The school's green initiative took off when its leaders attended a summit four years ago in New York City at which other local private and independent schools discussed the need to shift to eco-friendly and energy efficient practices, Burger said.

Three years later, the school received an Energy Star Certificate for reducing energy consumption by 30 percent, accomplished by using energy-efficient light bulbs, reducing the heat during times the school is unoccupied, as well as turning off and unplugging appliances.

That was just one part of a sustained effort to keep the environment healthy.

A small sustainable garden tended by the school's students, from toddlers to ninth-graders, is growing on the grounds, and Burger hopes to soon install a water-retention system to provide it with water.

Read more about Tuxedo Park School.