Case Study: Rural Texas School District Upgrades Facilities

The Nueces Canyon Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) in Barksdale, Texas, completed more than $1 million in facility upgrades to improve building operations and comfort, while enabling the district to better control utility costs.

Among the problems faced by Nueces Canyon CISD was an old, complicated heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system that was causing maintenance issues. The central system served the two main buildings, and any malfunctions affected at least one entire building, often resulting in comfort problems for an entire school or the need to move classes. Because the district is in a rural community more than two hours west of San Antonio, it was difficult to get contractors to come out to perform service, and parts for the aging system were hard to obtain. Meanwhile, the district’s utility costs continued to rise. Other problems included poor lighting, disruptive noise from the mechanical systems and poor air quality.

Nueces Canyon CISD will save nearly $16,000 in utility costs and the district qualified to receive a rebate of more than $11,000 from AEP Texas, a unit of American Electric Power, the local electric utility company.

The facility improvements include a complete HVAC system upgrade to improve comfort and create a system the district could self-maintain. The antiquated water source heat pump system was replaced with individual HVAC units that have programmable thermostats. In some areas, to improve comfort, a single, shared unit was replaced with individual units for each room.

To reduce noise, the unit cooling the auditorium stage was moved, supply ducts in the ceiling of the band hall were placed and new air ducts in both gyms were installed to improved air flow. a ductless HVAC unit in the district’s server room was upgraded to keep it cool without running the larger units when the building was unoccupied. Finally, HVAC coils were cleaned, units were brought up to code for introduction of outside air, and total power capacity was upgraded for the school buildings.

“The improvements have made a big difference for our district,” said Russ Perry, superintendent, Nueces Canyon CISDNueces Canyon CISD. “By reducing noise in many areas, the HVAC can be run during games, performances, etc. making these events more enjoyable. Behind the scenes, the upgraded power supply ensures the district can meet future electricity needs and because we can self-maintain the HVAC, we will not struggle with service issues anymore.”

TAC completed the enhancements at the district’s two schools. To learn more about TAC, click here

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