High Five for Saving Energy! 1. Heat offices and classrooms to 68 F Turing the heat down by 1 F will save 3% of the energy needed to heat that space. 2. Keep doors and windows closed Every hour a window is open, $.50 in energy goes out. 3. Turn lights off in unoccupied spaces Turning the lights off in a classroom for one hour a day can save up to $30 a year in electricity. 4. Shut computers down at night and turn monitors off when not in use Shutting a computer down at the end of each day and before each weekend can save over $40 a year. 5. Let the sun shine in Natural daylight provides free lighting and free heating and has been shown to increase student test scores.
Energy Conservation Check Up- What steps have you taken to conserve energy- what more could you do? Are windows or doors open when the heat is on? Are materials stacked on or over the heating vents or grills? Are all lights off in unoccupied spaces? Have you switched incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs? Have you eliminated all non-essential appliances in classrooms? Non-essential appliances include coffee pots, microwaves, toaster ovens, & refrigerators. Are any faucets dripping? Are your exterior lights on during day hours? Are you shutting down computers at night and turning off monitors when not in use? Are you taking advantage of natural daylight? Saving energy doesn t mean putting on a jacket and sitting in the dark. It does mean using energy when you need it and not when you don t. Paying attention to the energy we use not only saves money but can also help your building win a computer. These are only a few ideas of how you can save; many buildings have already instituted these and more. What have you done? Original artwork by USDOE, FEMP
Energy-Saving Tips for Your Office Enabling the monitor power management function on office computers, which automatically puts monitors to sleep when not in use, wakes them with a touch of the mouse or keyboard. As much as 25% more energy is required to distribute air if your vents are blocked. Make sure that areas in front of vents are clear of office furniture, file cabinets, and stacks of paper By lighting office space only when it is in use, you can reduce your lighting expenses by 10 to 40%. Turn off the lights in rooms that are not occupied, or when daylight is adequate Turn off printers, copiers, and fax machines when they are not in use, especially at the end of the day and on weekends. These machines generate significant amounts of heat and increase the amount of air conditioning needed to cool your office. During the summer keep blinds closed while your windows are exposed to direct sunlight, and during the winter keep them open while the sun is out.
Global Warming Do Your Part to Help Reduce the Risks Put your computer and monitor to sleep A single monitor, with activated power management, can save the district $100 every year, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For every 1,000 monitors,the district can save almost $20,000 in energy costs. And beware: your screen saver does not save energy! Print and copy double-sided whenever possible This simple step can cut paper consumption in half, which means less energy used and fewer greenhouse gas emissions; it will also save your company money on paper. Encourage your building to be more energy efficient Your building can cut energy use by as much as 30 percent through lighting upgrades, HVAC tune-ups and more efficient windows.
Turn it off or turn it down when not in use Common sense says lights, air conditioners and heating units should be turned off or down when a building is not in use. But, getting everyone to do their part is sometimes easier said than done. And, there are some innocuous-looking pieces of equipment that use energy that you may not think about, like soft drink machines and computer monitors. MYTH: There is a myth that frequently turning fluorescent lights on and off can cause premature failure of the bulbs and end up costing the school district more for bulbs, labor, etc. The misconception is that an electrical surge occurs when fluorescent lights are switched on, and that this surge consumes much more energy than could ever be saved by turning out the lights. FACT: The electrical surge is extremely short and insignificant. The wear on the light bulbs is far outweighed by energy savings when the lights are turned off. Computer Screen Savers and Monitors. Screen savers prevent screen damage and may provide entertainment. But, while those flying toasters or wacky designs are displayed on your screen, your computer is accessing the CPU and maybe the hard drive, which causes your computer to use energy just as if you were working on a document. Even screen savers that make the screen go blank don t significantly lower energy use. The best way to save your screen and save energy at the same time is to turn off your computer when you are not using it. If you will be away for 30 minutes or more, turn everything off the monitor and the CPU. The second best way to save your screen and save energy is to turn off your monitor (while leaving the CPU on) if you will be away 15 minutes or more. Your monitor uses the most energy and simply switching if off when not in use will cut your energy use. The CPU will continue to use energy but this is a good compromise. There are even hardware devices that detect keyboard inactivity and automatically cut power to the monitor until someone touches the keyboard. There is a third way to save energy and your monitor s screen at the same time. Every computer user should be using this method regardless of whether they are doing the first two. Use the power management features of your computer. Unless your computer is very old, you will have some options for power management (PM). Power management uses software loaded in your computer to cut power to the monitor and make your computer sleep. If you follow these simple guidelines, the Department of Energy claims that your screen and your whole system will last longer.
Not in Use? Turn off the Juice! Lead by Example with Smart Energy Choices Here is a simple checklist of energy conservation and efficiency measures to use at work: Always use Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) in desk lamps as opposed to incandescent lights Switch off all unnecessary lights Use natural lighting when possible When working late, use task lighting to directly illuminate work areas Unplug equipment that drains energy even when not in use (i.e. cell phone chargers, fans, coffeemakers, desktop printers, radios, etc) Turn off your office equipment and/or computer monitors at the end of the work day Close or tilt window blinds to block direct sunlight to reduce cooling needs during warm months Photocopy only what you need Always use the second side of paper, either by printing on both sides or using the back side as scrap paper Use durable coffee mugs instead of disposable cups
ENERGY TIPS Turn off lights and office equipment at the end of the work day and over the weekend- this includes computers, printers and copiers. Networking several computers to one printer can reduce energy consumption. Take advantage of daylight. During the hot weather, block direct heat gain from the sun shining through glass on the East, and especially West sides of the building (keep blinds down). At night pull binds up to help let the heat out of the building. In the winter months pull blinds up, especially the South side during day hours. At night pull blinds down to keep building heat in. Disconnect unnecessary equipment such as unused refrigerators, freezers, water coolers. Report leaking faucets, pipes or toilets. Less than five percent of the electricity consumed by an incandescent lamp is actually turned into useful light. When unconditioned air from outside slips into your building or conditioned air from inside seeps out, you have to pay to heat or cool the extra or replacement air, Keep door and windows closed when heating or cooling air. Make sure that furniture or other obstructions do not block air flow around radiators, univents, air intakes or diffusers. Identify any areas in your facility that are unused but are being heated and/or cooled. This includes areas that are used for part of a day. Turn off light when you leave your room. Help each other save energy by turning off lights in unoccupied spaces. Turn off lights in closets and storage areas. Custodian should turn of lights in each room as they finish cleaning that room. Don t preheat your cooking equipment. Improve kitchen ventilation. Turn off your makeup air unit whenever you are not cooking and especially at night. These units, together with the exhaust hoods, demand tremendous amount of energy. You need to provide a safe and
comfortable environment without odors and smoke, but turn both systems off when they are not needed. Turn off vending machine lights. Install vending misers. Lighting accounts for one third of the total power consumption in a typical vending machine consumes about 3,000 kwh per year; four times that of a residential refrigerator. Install occupant sensors in proper locations to automatically turn off lighting when no one is present and back on when they return. Sensors add convenience as well as save money. But be sure not to block the sensor with a coat rack, book case or hanging plant. It must be able to see the motion of occupant approaching an unlit area to turn on the light before, or as they enter. The savings come when people leave an area, and the sensor ensures that the lights are always, automatically turned off, until someone returns. Turn off light when you leave your room. Help each other save energy by turning off lights in unoccupied spaces. Turn off lights in closets and storage areas. Custodian should turn off lights in each room as they finish cleaning that room. Keep doors and windows closed during heating season. If a space is so warm that windows and doors need to be opened something is not right. Building staff should notify the head custodian whom will contact maintenance. Hallway doors should be closed for two reasons. Since the temperature in the hallway is to be at a lower level than the classroom, it can impact the classroom temperature in a negative way. The other is that the hallway is a fire corridor and to maintain the integrity of the fire corridor and reduce the spread of a potential fire, classroom doors should be closed. Gym and cafeteria lighting should be turned off or limited after the normal school day unless there is activity in these spaces. Only those with disabilities should use the automatic door openers at main entrance to schools. Frequent use by convenience users allows for much more heat loss and wasted dollars. Exterior doors are to be kept closed. Check for gaps under the doors (light shining under door). Door sweeps may need to be adjusted or replaced. Fans on unit ventilators should be left on. This serves two purposes. First if the fan is left on, there is a constant ventilation level which provides healthier rooms. The other is that the room temperature is directly impacted by the proper operation of the unit ventilator.
The use of supplemental heating devises is not permitted to exceed the temperature guidelines. These can be a safety hazard as well. If there is a need for repair (when temperatures are outside the district guidelines), please contact Tom Hunt. Please keep in mind that it is impossible to maintain a single temperature. For instance, don t call for repair if the temperature is 67 degrees in a high school classroom or office. Temperatures are measured from the floor and three feet from the wall.
How to Button Up for Fall When it comes to heating bills, cold weather can burn right through our finances. We can tame these monster energy bills by practicing the following: Do the Math: The recommended thermostat setting is 68 degrees during wintertime. That may sound cool, but the tradeoff is that for every degree you raise the temperature, you ll also raise your bill by about 3 percent. Seal those Leaks: If you find gaps in areas around windows be sure to alert custodians so that these spaces can be caulked. This will help keep out cold air keeping room temps at a more comfortable level. Move furniture and books/paper: Make sure all vents or radiators can blow their warmth straight into a room. Close the Door: Doors are to be kept closed at all times perhaps talk about the fact that hallways are cooler than classrooms, opening the door makes the thermostat think the room is cold so it calls for more heat. Whenever you re not using a room, close the door. The less space you have to heat, the less the district will spend on energy.