The Howard Suamico School District received $171,748 this month from Wisconsin Public Service and Focus on Energy, a statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The money was presented after the district installed a new boiler at Lineville Intermediate, made air handler upgrades and put in new water heaters at Bay View Middle School and made energy efficient lighting upgrades at various schools last year.

The district said a new, more efficient boiler will reduce gas consumption and air handling upgrades will save electricity and gas by pre-conditioning outside ventilation air with exhaust air from the building. The new air handling system will provide the additional benefit of more accurate temperature control for individual rooms.

The district retro-fitted more than 7,800 fixtures with new lamps and ballasts, resulting in large energy savings.

By completing these projects, the district said it saved enough energy to power 93 Wisconsin homes for a year. The school District will also benefit from a $84,000 savings on its energy bills each year.

The energy saving projects, through Wisconsin Public Service, earned an incentive award of nearly $105,000 through a limited time incentive program available to local governments and school districts. The district also received nearly $67,000 from Focus on Energy for these projects.