New Rochelle, N.Y. March 18, 2026 – The City School District of New Rochelle Green Schools Committee has accepted a $107,195 GridRewards check in recognition of the school district’s leadership reducing energy usage across buildings during times of peak grid stress. The check was presented during a celebration at New Rochelle City Hall on Wednesday, March 18. They were joined by representatives of Sustainable Westchester, a nonprofit that delivers climate solutions to our region, and Logical Buildings, an award-winning climate technology provider.

The $107,195 check was earned through SmartKit AI, a program offered by Sustainable Westchester, ConEd, and Logical Buildings that allows energy users to get money back on their electric bill at the end of the year by reducing their energy usage during select moments when the grid is under the highest load—typically during hot summer days—a practice called Demand-Response. New Rochelle was the first school district in New York to participate in Logical Buildings’ Demand Response Program, starting in 2023.

Logical Buildings’ SmartKit AI technology alerted the facilities staff of key peak energy demand hours during the summer of 2025, prompting the school district to reduce energy usage across 8 schools and 9 accounts, a total reduction of approximately 1MW, a 51.7% increase in kW reduction from 2024 and equivalent to temporarily taking approximately 1000 homes off the grid. This reduction alleviated the need to power up fossil fuel peaker power plants, which are highly polluting and extremely costly to operate.

The successful partnership with Logical Buildings began in 2023, when five schools within the district activated Logical Buildings’ SmartKit AI platform, generating over $23,000 in demand response revenue and achieving a total portfolio reduction of ~700 kW by participating in two energy reduction events in July. David Klatt, CEO of Logical Buildings, shared, “New Rochelle’s participation in demand response is amazing. In 2024, the school earned $70,000 and set the goal for $80,000 in 2025. We were all blown away by the fact that [they] demolished . . . that goal with $107,000 in savings achieved.” He then congratulated New Rochelle’s leadership on their commitment to energy efficiency and environmental progress, stating that the district’s energy savings were equivalent to “a virtual power plant, helping to support the grid during a period of high stress.”

City School District of New Rochelle Director of Facilities Keith W. Watkins joined students in accepting the $107,195 rebate presented by Klatt. “Our administration does not take the savings we have achieved lightly. We understand that the energy [and cost savings] we accomplished will go far in benefiting our students in all of our schools and programs,” said Watkins. “The relationship with GridRewards has grown beyond just our relationship with the school district. Even now, GridRewards has expanded out into the City of New Rochelle where more residents, owners, and government buildings take advantage of demand response.”

Klatt and Logical Buildings also presented Watkins with the Climate Community Leadership Award in recognition of his trailblazing work in energy conservation, leading the charge within the region for engaging with the GridRewards program.

Members of the New Rochelle High School’s Green Club spoke at the celebration, showcasing the passion and leadership of young people in addressing climate and energy challenges. Carmen Glenn, AP Environmental Science teacher and faculty supervisor to the Green Club, shared, “the whole reason why New Rochelle’s GridRewards participation exists is because kids cared and administration listened with the commitment that they will continue to do so. Starting with Superintendent Jonathan Raymond and continuing with Dr. Reynolds, our administration has supported our students all the way.” She continued, “in my experience as a teacher, there will always be kids who care, but to be taken seriously on important topics like our environment does not always happen.” The students also prompted change outside of school in the broader community, achieving the highest number of GridRewards sign-ups among all Westchester towns after educating parents and residents. 

Optimizing heating and cooling is a major energy challenge for school districts like New Rochelle. As the planet warms at an accelerating pace, buildings—which contribute nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions—face growing pressure to enhance their sustainability efforts. Ashley Perez, one of the Green Club’s co-presidents, joined because she believes it is “important for other students [her] age to understand the impact humans have on the planet and everything that lives on it,” and highlighted how participation in GridRewards opened her eyes to the power of small actions. She noted that “by simply turning off lights or not using electricity during peak hours, households can make a significant difference.” The club’s other co-president Kaitlyn Thomas and Treasurer Davon Gilchrist echoed the broader importance of collective action, stating, “big or small, . . . we can all agree that any work towards a better future for New Rochelle, ecologically, is more beneficial when we work together!”

A total of 8 schools participated on the platform in 2025: Albert Leonard Middle School, Columbus Elementary School, Daniel Webster Elementary School, George M. Davis Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, New Rochelle High School, Trinity Elementary School, and William B. Ward Elementary School.

The program was initiated by the City School District Facilities Department, supporting the Green Schools Committee’s mission to develop a comprehensive utility management program that maximizes conservation of natural resources. To save energy at key times, the district shifted buildings’ cooling schedules and changed temperature setpoints, improving efficiency and shifting energy load without impacting the comfort of students and staff members.

“Our collaboration with Logical Buildings has allowed Sustainable Westchester to deliver innovative energy solutions to residents, businesses, and municipalities across Westchester County. The City School District of New Rochelle was an early adopter of demand response and has reaped the benefits of leveraging smart energy technology to lower emissions in environmental justice communities while unlocking significant cost savings that directly benefit students and educators,” said Lauren Brois, Director of Programming at Sustainable Westchester. “This partnership with the City School District of New Rochelle is a great example of the impact, and savings, that can come from utilizing demand response, and we’re looking forward to working with other school districts in the county to launch similar programs.”

Sustainable Westchester regularly partners with Logical Buildings to offer technology-driven energy savings programs to Westchester County municipalities, residents, and businesses. GridRewards pays consumers to lower their energy consumption during periods of extremely hot weather when people typically ramp up their air conditioners and electricity demand spikes. More than 3,500 residents and businesses in Westchester County have signed up for GridRewards to date, and on average, each residential user received a direct cash payment of $82.50, with the top commercial users earning more than $150,000. Users’ combined efforts reduced energy consumption by 18MW, enough electricity to instantaneously power 14,400 homes. Con Edison-serviced municipalities, businesses, and residents are all eligible to participate in GridRewards.

School districts interested in learning more about partnerships with Sustainable Westchester and Logical Buildings can contact Lauren Brois, Director of Programming at Sustainable Westchester at [email protected] or 914-242-4725, ext 122.

Front Row: Nia Howard Fenton, Energy Justice Alliance; Lauren Brois, Sustainable Westchester; Sara Kaye, New Rochelle City Council Member; Carmen Glenn, NRHS Science teacher

Middle Row: Cat Sayles, Sustainable Westchester; New Rochelle teachers and Green Task Force members, Ashley Perez, NRHS Student and Green Club Education Coordinator; Davon Gilchrist, NRHS Student and Green Club Treasurer; Kaitlyn Thomas, NRHS Student and Green Club Co-President;  Anne Johnson, CSDNR Facilities;Keith Watkins, CSDNR Facilities Director; Matt Stern, New Rochelle City Council Member. 

Back Row:  

Christian Capabianco; Sustainable Westchester; Martin Rodriguez, HVAC Technician,CSDNR; Superintendent Dr. Corey Reynolds, CSDNR; David Klatt, Logical Buildings CEO; Mr. Gilchrist, Parent;  Richard Meyerhoff, Secondary School Plant Facilities Supervisor, CSDNR; Green Schools Task Force Member; Mia Baudry, CSDNR Sustainability and Environmental Coordinator.

About Sustainable Westchester 

Sustainable Westchester delivers climate solutions to the governments, businesses, organizations, and people of Westchester County. Through its innovative programming, extensive relationships, and effective advocacy, Sustainable Westchester has been at the forefront of regional and statewide efforts to achieve a clean energy transition, conserve natural resources, promote environmental justice, and help member communities become more prosperous, healthy, resilient, and equitable.  For more about the organization and its activities, please visit https://sustainablewestchester.org/.

About Logical Buildings

Logical Buildings is an industry-leading sustainability, smart building, and virtual power plant software and solutions provider for the built world. Our revolutionary ESG technologies combat climate change by empowering residential, commercial, and industrial energy users to earn money, enhance building health and reduce carbon footprint, all from within user-friendly, award-winning mobile apps. Founded in 2012, the company now operates in major national urban markets, such as New York, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Camden, Chicago, Miami, and more. To learn more, visit logicalbuildings.com and follow Logical Buildings on LinkedIn.

About the City School District of New Rochelle

With nearly 10,000 students in 10 schools, the City School District of New Rochelle, through an active partnership amongst the community, parents, staff, and students, provides a high-quality and challenging education for every child in a safe, nurturing environment that embraces rich diversity and drives success. Resource Management is one of the CSDNR’s four strategic directions – where we maximize resources and identify operational efficiencies to provide and support the delivery of a high-quality education. Learn more here: nred.org