It is that time again, back to school for most of the country, but here in Colorado, that means the weather is quickly changing. There are many ways to get everyone involved. E3 Power can help to educate students and faculty alike about how your school can be more energy-efficient. A great place to start chipping away at your school budget is changing the energy habits of the school. Hold an assembly or take a brief amount of time out of science class to get the entire school on the same page. Even if you carry out only one of the suggestions you will be making progress.
School Computers
Computers and digital devices are a permanent fixture in every school across America but they use a good bit of energy. If your students have used their computers for one period and the next class will not use them than the students should turn the monitors off. There’s no reason to leave them running if no one will be using them. Some computers have power management controls that will set the computers in sleep mode. Make sure that if your computers have them that you use those options. Swapping out regular computers for Energy Star computers, printers, fax machines, and other office equipment can save up to fifty percent on your energy bill.
Lighting
Lighting accounts for up to fifty percent of a school’s energy bill, so it makes sense to pay very close attention to this area even if you have energy-efficient lighting. Make sure that when rooms are not in use that the lights are turned off. You can even form a patrol unit comprised of students that will look for energy violations in between classes. Students can make signs to remind students and faculty to save energy. Science classes can play a huge role in this new initiative as well. Take advantage of the time you have for experiments and change out incandescent lights with CFL’s. Record everyone’s hypothesis and have a prize for those who are spot on.
Heating and Air Savings
Heating and cooling for a school building are a little different from heating and cooling in your own home. Due to the number of people in a school your settings will not be the same. During the fall and winter months set your thermostat at 68 and in the spring and summer to 78. Programmable thermostats in areas that are not used as frequently are a great way to save money. Install them in the cafeterias or gyms, both are places that are only used during specific times and don’t need continuous airflow.
Survey Your Appliances
This is an area people don’t think about as often, appliances and their usage. Well so many of them are really outdated and a wattmeter will show you your usage and what appliances really need to kick the bucket. Students can follow the energy usage of the appliances in the room to find out what should stay and what should go. When possible refrigerators should be switched to energy star and their coils should be cleaned regularly.
Call Our Team Today
E3 Power of Colorado’s number one goal is to help our community become more energy efficient every day. We have a number of ways that we do this whether it is through an energy audit or by educating our community. If you are looking for more information on how to make your home more energy-efficient or your business give us a call and we will be happy to help you out.
