News Release Date: June 11, 2009

LIPA Lauds Hampton Bays Middle School
Soon to Be First New York State LEED Certified Public School

LIPA Rebates $300,000 for Efficiency Measures

Hampton Bays, NY—The Long Island Power Authority and the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced Wednesday that the Hampton Bays Middle School will be the first public school in New York State to earn the coveted USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.

The new 147,000-square-foot Hampton Bays Middle School opened its doors to its 5th and 6th grade students for the first time on February 25, 2008, and to its 7th and 8th graders on September 3, 2008. The announcement was made at a student assembly, the culmination of a year-long curriculum focusing on green living

The District is expected to obtain LEED certification for the new construction which employed energy efficiency measures including a white roof and increased insulation as well as the installation of high-efficiency air conditioning units and chiller. These measures will result in future energy savings and subsequent cost savings.

“LIPA is pleased to have partnered with Hampton Bays Middle School on this state-of-the-art public school building,” said LIPA President and CEO Kevin S. Law. “Energy- efficient construction is environmentally responsible while providing significant long-term savings for the school district. This project should be an inspiration to other schools, municipalities and businesses across Long Island,” Law said.

"I would like to thank Kevin Law and all of LIPA's partners for helping make the Hampton Bays Middle School the first LEED certified public school in the state," said Hampton Bays Schools Superintendent Joanne Loewenthal. "In today's economy, where every school dollar counts, operating an educational institution with this level of efficiency will no doubt have a positive effect on not only school tax bills, but the environment as well."

Art Desin, Chair of the USGBC Long Island said, “This is a wonderful achievement. The new Hampton Bays Middle School sets a standard throughout the state, and a number of other school districts have spoken to us about their plans to pursue LEED certification. LIPA adds the icing on the cake, with a school and commercial rebate program that is as generous as it gets, and does a great job of promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and LEED.”

Eric Schatz, of the USGBC Long Island Green Schools committee added, “Not only did the district build a green school, but the students and teachers embrace sustainability on a daily basis. The signs and artwork in the hallway alone let you know that everyone is very aware, very proud and very much a part of Hampton Bays’ environmental commitment.”

“A great building has a foundation which comes from many different sources,” said Roger P. Smith, the principal architect on the project from BBS Architects & Engineers. “The Hampton Bays Board of Education and the District’s Superintendent Joanne Loewenthal provided phenomenal leadership and acceptance. We developed the design to always be a part of the fabric of Hampton Bays – a remembrance of the community’s past as represented in the replication of the Ponquogue Point Lighthouse that was part of the community and a turning point and reach out to the future as the building embraces truly GREEN and sustainable design. Its LEED certification is the culmination of many years of design concepts woven and integrated with the built environment. The new school will stand as a testament to a moment in an architect’s career when all moons are in alignment – a wonderful image brought to life through the collaborative effort of many – the Hampton Bays community, the talented architects and engineers, LIPA and the construction managers and contractors – all working to a common goal – a better and more sustainable environment.”

The lighting system for the building consists of hi-lumen low power T-8 lamps, with T-5 lamps in selected areas. The use of these energy efficient fixtures will result in reduction of lighting power density for the majority of the spaces in the building. The classrooms, offices, library and art related areas in the building were equipped with occupancy sensors which turn lights “off” and “on” when rooms are occupied or vacant. The energy efficient measures taken at the school will see the building operate with a cost savings of approximately 30% compared to minimum NYS Energy Code requirements.

The cumulative result of these improvements will save the school approximately 536,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year, equating to more than $90,000 in savings and will have the equivalent effect of reducing 70 cars from the road for one year.

Through its participation in the Commercial Construction component of LIPA’s Efficiency Long Island initiative, Hampton Bays Middle School will receive a $300,000 rebate from the Authority to offset the costs. In addition, LIPA fully funded the energy modeling services, valued at $30,500.

Efficiency Long Island is a 10-year, $924 million energy efficiency program launched this year, which offers a wide array of incentives, rebates and initiatives to LIPA’s residential and commercial customers to assist them in reducing their energy usage and thereby lowering their bills.

In April of this year, LIPA awarded its first Green Building Incentive to Wild by Nature in Oceanside, the state’s first Gold LEED Certified supermarket. Together with LIPA assistance, Wild By Nature’s building design team worked from concept to completion, to develop an energy efficient building. The Wild by Nature store used the full compliment of LIPA’s programs, including Whole Building Design, Building Commissioning, and Green Building Incentives. By employing LIPA’s Whole Building Comprehensive approach, this Wild by Nature building will save 316,500 kWh of energy annually for a savings of approximately $57,000 per year. That is enough energy to power over 30 average-sized Long Island homes.

To learn more about LIPA’s Commercial Construction Program and Efficiency Long Island, visit LIPA’s Web site at http://www.lipower.org/efficiency/commercial.html.

LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric provider, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA is the 2nd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of electric revenues, 3rd largest in terms of customers served and the 7th largest in terms of electricity delivered. In 2010, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State for frequency of service interruptions, and ranked second for duration of service interruptions. LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at: http://www.lipower.org.

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Mark Gross
Phone - (516) 719-9892
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