Question of the Week: How does your school save energy?
Posted on August 31st, 2009 - 10:30 AM
Students head back to school in September and schools prepare for their return by making repairs and upgrades. Schools can save money with energy efficient systems for heating and cooling and lights, and save water by fixing leaks.
How does your school save energy?
Each week we ask a question related to the environment. Please let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.
Tags: Back to School
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Question of the Week
August 31st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Why does Smithfield/Selma middle school leave large flood lights on near the street 24/7. Would it not save a lot of money to turn them off on sunny days during the daylight hours? Everytime I see them on burning, I feel they are burning my money.
[Reply]
H. Breeze reply on August 31, 2009 12:27 pm:
It could be as simple as knowing how to turn them off, or put them on
a timer. Write them a letter and ask. You might be the one to
stimulate and save the money from burning.
8-}
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August 31st, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Summer 4 day work week for staff
Lighting retrofits from HID to more efficent lights
Tying the lighting controls to security systems
Remove domestic Heat Exchangers
T12 to T8 or T5 converisions
Multiple switching on lights
Implmented autoshutdown of most PC’s
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August 31st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
The circulation fans in restrooms should be in proper working order.
Which means they are ON through out school hours. They use 120V AC and are of industrial strength for older schools wasting even more energy.
Our Health Hygiene 12v 45ma conversion would save big $ per school, per year!
We qualify for ENERGY STAR status and seek to install in schools someday, while creating jobs across America. With a little luck, the right people will read this and make contact.
Trying to make contact with the EPA, DOE…etc, is not as easy as one might think.
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August 31st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I am observing that all my State Campuses are using 23 Watt CFL light bulb to illuminate class rooms and conserve energy which is a wonderful method for me.
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August 31st, 2009 at 6:39 pm
My kid’s schools DON’T save energy. They hold science classes where they teach kids all about global warming and tell the kids to go home and hassle Mom and Dad to clean up their act. But, for the schools to do anything simple, such as turning off the heat and lights when the kids go home at night? Nope — can’t do that! They talk about installing demonstration solar electric panels, but do the plain jane simple stuff like turn off the lights when no one is using them? Nope — can’t do that!
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September 1st, 2009 at 1:17 am
Our facility has a new, modern library. The library just finished upgrading its air conditioning last week to a much more energy efficient system. We also don’t run the air conditioner until you start feeling cool. The air conditioner shuts off when the temperature hits around 80. Large windows are used to supply light instead of so many lights. We have the lights to, but we use energy efficient bulbs. It has automatic fast flushing toilets in all the restrooms and the water in the faucets comes on automatically for a set time and shut themselves off. Restroom lights are off until someone goes inside, then they automatically come on. The library also has a major recycling program. It also has special recepticles located inside by the front entrance to collect house hold batteries and a contractor that picks them up and takes them for recycling. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.
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September 1st, 2009 at 2:55 am
Thanks for sharing the info
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September 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
Faribault Public Schools is part of the Schools for Energy Efficiency Program currently operating in several States. Our goals include reducing energy usage by 10% or more by turning offf equipment and lights when not in use, work to obtain Energy Star ratings for our buildings and educating our students about our changing environment and the future consequences of not reducing greenhouse gases.
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September 1st, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Here if there is a leak we put some fabric to fix it ……… here in my country
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September 2nd, 2009 at 2:30 am
Schools can save energy and water as the two are closely linked. Conserving resources like energy and water will help in keeping the bills in check too. Water is in short supply and schools can play an important role in educating students to conserve water.
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September 8th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
The only things we do as policy are use all fluorescent or CFL lights and have thermostats in almost every room so if the room is not being used, the setting can be adjusted so as not to use energy. An example of an unofficial policy is teachers choosing not to report burned out tubes because we have huge windows which let in lots of natural light and don’t really need all we’ve been given (I have 14 fixtures in my room each of which holds 4 tubes!) Another example is that on a pleasant day, we surreptitiously open the windows and turn off the air, although it is against the rules because some kids might have allergies at some seasons. Egregious offenses include leaving enormous numbers of computers on “sleep” all night, all weekend, even all summer; inordinate numbers of fixtures that cannot ever be turned off because the fire department mandates them for emergencies; burning a gas “fire” in the main lobby for aesthetics; and leaving lights on in every room all day in case a prospective parent comes for a tour.
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September 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I pack ice around my in classroom thermostat during the summer months so the AC never turns off. Then I bought stock in my local utility. Go **Star!!
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November 4th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Students head back to school in September and schools prepare for their return by making repairs and upgrades? Are you kidding me, the urine and feces are running down the walls and on the floors of every restroom, the asbestos ceiling tile carved in on the 1st grade students the first week of return to school, the roof only leaks when it rains, and everytime they get someone with heart that starts to fix things the management terminates him because repairs jepordize this years bonds, grants, and christmas bonuses. I asked about the SCHOOL RULE made by the EPA on disrupted asbestos removal and repair. They claimed the EPA is a bunch of gay, green people, and only rats eating a pound of asbestos really get sick. Try home schooling your kids before they get hepititus from the filthy schools.
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