SPARKS — In a time when the Washoe County School District is taking as many measures as possible to save a few bucks, it has been rewarded for thinking green.

On Tuesday at Dilworth Middle School during its regular meeting, board members accepted the district’s sixth rebate from NV Energy— this one for $44,149 — for projects completed to retrofit and upgrade campuses to achieve energy efficiency. The district has been a part of the energy-efficiency rebate program for five years.

Bruce Deetken, energy manager for the district, said that through NV Energy’s Sure Bets program projects to improve schools’ heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting have cut back on energy use.

Work includes HVAC retrofits, lighting retrofits and other energy-conservation measures at 19 local schools, including Spanish Springs and Sparks high schools and Lincoln Park and Alice Maxwell elementary schools.

“We went through the schools and relamped fixtures from three-light to two-light fixtures,” he said. “We’ve put in occupancy sensors. Occupancy sensors are really neat. It’s a direct view for the students to see energy-efficient systems being used and they can see the lights go off when no one’s around. We’ve placed thermostats in the portable (classrooms).”

Other changes include installing separate air conditioning systems in computer rooms so classroom air can be turned off through weekends and the holidays.

Deetken also said the newest school in the district, Kendyl Depoali Middle School in south Reno, received the largest incentive from NV Energy.

In all, the district saved about 1.5 million kilowatt hours, or $216,000, for calendar year 2009. Cumulatively, $2 million has been saved in the last four years, Deetken said.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do a lot of projects without help,” he said. “We save the district energy and the money can be put back toward student needs. It’s a win-win situation and I’m proud to be a part of it.”