Richland School District 2 has been awarded $612,355 in federal energy stimulus funds by the South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office to make energy efficiency improvements.

The district will upgraded lighting fixtures at LW Conder Elementary School, Forest Lake Elementary School, North Springs Elementary School and Richland Northeast High School.

“Lighting fixtures are a great place to start when upgrading to energy efficient equipment,” said John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office. “Richland County taxpayers will benefit from these improvements as the district’s utility bill will be reduced by more than $130,000 annually.”

The state’s 85 school districts are sharing $20.3 million in grants and loans for energy efficiency.  The state’s public colleges and universities are receiving a total of $12.2 million, and state agencies are getting $7.4 million for energy efficiency improvements.  Each entity’s allocation is based on the size of the organization’s energy bill.