Greater Latrobe School District locks in natural gas savings for 3 years

Greater Latrobe School District locked in a partial price for natural gas that will save the district thousands of dollars over three years.

The school board this week approved an agreement with Direct Energy to supply 30% of the district’s gas needs from Sept. 1, 2020, through Aug. 31, 2023.

Greater Latrobe will pay $2.596 per dekatherm, which is the equivalent of about 1,000 cubic feet of gas. “That’s an 8.5% decrease below our existing rate,” said district business administrator Dan Watson. It will result in an annual savings of about $17,000, he said.

The board in June approved a rate of $2.823 per dekatherm from Direct Energy for the larger 70% of its projected gas needs during the same period.

Greater Latrobe pursued the advanced pricing upon the advice of KEYTEX Energy, a consultant the district uses through its participation in a Westmoreland County consortium for purchasing natural gas. KEYTEX staff “follow where forward markets are moving and analyze other factors, such as electricity pricing, then make recommendations to the consortium on when best to lock in pricing,” Watson said.

On Tuesday, the board also approved change orders for the senior high roof replacement project that resulted in a net savings of close to $2,800. Tuscano Maher Roofing will be paid an additional $26,197 for replacing roof insulation while Garland/DBS will charge $28,990 less for project materials.

School directors hired Amanda Newcomer as the district’s curriculum and software services assistant, a new administrative support position, at a salary of $52,000.