ENERGY-
SMART
SCHOOLS

More than 40 percent gave their school an unsatisfactory energy-efficiency rating. One school administrator reported, "Our school facilities are not energy efficient or wired for modern technology. Our floor tile is worn out and the furniture is in poor shape. Our taxpayers don't want to put any more [money] in schools. Our teachers want better pay. Our students and parents want more programs and technology. HELP!!!"

To make matters worse, many public school systems are in dire financial condition with decreasing revenues and rising costs. Numerous school districts are straining to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment, even as schools defer maintenance and repair work due to limited budgets. The resulting use of inefficient heating and cooling equipment and the deterioration of buildings increases energy costs.

The irony is that the proficient operation of buildings and the installation of energy-efficient equipment are two ways school districts can save money and fund other necessary programs.

This edition of Energy Ideas tracks successful energy conservation initiatives in schools at the elementary, secondary and collegiate levels. It offers strategies for implementing an effective energy management program, including:

• getting started: organizing energy data and developing a comprehensive energy plan;
  
• the quick fix: saving energy with minor equipment and maintenance changes;
  
• retrofits: saving money and improving student performance by modernizing lighting systems and the building envelope;
  
• system conversions: maximizing energy savings with improved heating and cooling systems;
  
• sustainable energy: installing cost-effective and reliable solar, wind and geothermal technologies;
  
• transportation: limiting the need for vehicle use and promoting alternatives to polluting buses and cars;
  
• environmental education: raising the environmental awareness of tomorrow's energy consumers; and
  
• getting funded: securing financing for institutional energy-efficiency and renewable energy improvements.
  

WHY
BOTHER
SAVING
ENERGY?

Given competing interests for money, time and other resources, why should schools bother to improve their energy management?

1. IT SAVES MONEY. Simply put, the less money schools spend on energy, the more they have for educating students. The total energy bill to run the nation's schools nears $8 billion annually, according to a 1992 study, Schoolhouse in the Red: Cutting Our Losses, conducted by the American Association of School Administrators. Energy costs are projected to increase as schools acquire more energy-consuming technologies such as computers, printers and copiers and as maintenance costs continue to be deferred. Schoolhouse in the Red reports that schools can save up to 25 percent, or $1.85 billion per year, by implementing energy-efficiency measures. The federal government gets four dollars in savings for every one dollar invested in energy efficiency, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

   
   

2. IT INCREASES STUDENT AND STAFF PRODUCTIVITY. Students, teachers and other staff can be made more comfortable, healthy and productive by improving lighting, heating and cooling. Some schools have even reported lower rates of absenteeism and vandalism by creating an atmosphere in which students can take pride in their school.

   In addition, research conducted by a student at Georgetown University found that after removing variables such as socioeconomic status, achievement scores of students in school buildings with "poor" conditions were over five percentage points below the scores of students in buildings with "fair" conditions, and 11 percentage points below those in schools with "excellent" conditions. (M. Edwards, Building Conditions, Parental Involvement and Student Achievement in DC Public Schools, 1991). Similarly, a study conducted in North Carolina found that children in daylit schools score higher on standard performance exams and have better attitudes and attendance rates than their peers in nondaylit facilities. (See p.11).

   
   

3. IT BUILDS COMMUNITY TIES. The Alliance to Save Energy claims that energy-efficiency programs build strong communities by focusing local attention on solving problems, and keeping dollars within the schools. (See p.23).

   
   

4. IT EMPOWERS STUDENTS. Students are the energy consumers of tomorrow. By educating them about the consequences of energy consumption, they can play an important role in determining their energy future.

   Further, as a building trades instructor in Oakland, California remembers, "My first motivation for getting started was that too often students say, `I'm never going to use this stuff when I graduate.' Energy management is relevant once they start paying the bills." (CA Energy Extension Service, Bright Ideas: A Total Resource Energy Management Guide for Schools, 1992).

UTILITY
DEREGULATION:
BOON OR
BOONDOGGLE?

Please let us know what strategies you are considering, or already implementing, to deal with this new competitive market. We plan to tackle this complex issue in our next edition. Thanks!