Among the largest consumers of energy are schools. They are very big and house many people throughout the day and depending on the size of the school can use up to 1000 computers a day. If a school were to cut its power consumption by only 10% they could save several thousand dollars at the end of the year. With this in mind, there are some things that can be done in schools to reduce the amount of energy they use.
Step One: Inspect Heating and Cooling Units
Have the heating and cooling units checked regularly for leaks in the duct work. The thermostats should be located in an interior room or hallway to ensure accurate temperature readings. Keep the thermostat set at a regular temperature and put locks on them so that there is only a couple of people that have access to them.
Step Two: Turn Computers off Nightly
If school computers are left on 24 hours a day they are constantly using the same amount of energy as if someone were actually working on them. Turn them off when they are not in use. There are many electrical devices that can be powered down in the evenings to save even more energy. Have a monitoring team in place so that everyday someone is in charge of making sure that everything has been turned off. This is a very easy task that only takes a few minutes but could save a sizable amount of money at the end of each year.
Step Three: Put Lights on Timers
Lights should be placed on a timer control so that they will turn on at exactly the right time and turn off when the day is over. Doing this will eliminate the possibility of someone accidently leaving the lights on. If you want to keep the campus lit at night for security purposes, consider motion detected lights.
Step Five: Get Students Involved
Get the students involved. Start a special group of students that will serve as a committee to keep watch for the improper usage of energy at the school. Arm them with information that they can share with their classmates about energy conservation, not just at school but at home too. Start a suggestion box and allow students to put their energy saving ideas into the box and then have monthly meetings and go over the different suggestions.
Step Six: Get Administration Involved
Talk to the school's administration office and ask them to look into alternate means of energy such as wind mills or solar panels. Many times if you have a solar system installed, the power company will actually give you money back if you use less energy than you have generated.
By just taking these simple steps, we are doing our part, not just for our school or to help save money but for our planet as a whole. If we do not cut back on the amount of energy we are consuming now, our children and grand children will surely reap the consequences. We are burning through our natural resources at an astronomical rate. Gas prices continue to rise and there is no end in sight.
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