Our Visitors Are Quite Impressed With Our Program

by energy educator james brown

 Last spring we had two different energy consultants walk through some of our buildings to look for additional ways we could conserve energy. These consultants worked at no cost to us through programs sponsored by the EPA and NYSERDA. After finding very few additional ways we could use to
reduce energy consumption, both consultants (independent of each other) said to me, “You guys aren’t giving me much to work with.”

That is quite a compliment to the employees of our district who are doing an excellent job conserving energy, and setting the bar for other districts to reach. Both consultants said they were impressed with how well we have been able to reduce our energy consumption. One of the consultants mentioned that he had analyzed a neighboring district that had spent a lot of money on conservation equipment, and that they had not reduced their consumption nearly as much as we have. Once again, a huge compliment to our employees!

Did you know that out of 14,800 public school systems in the United States, fewer than 3 percent have any form of an energy management program? Considering how much money we have avoided spending on utilities (over one million dollars in less than four years) I am surprised by this fact.

When we began our energy management program there was only one other district in the capital region that had an energy manager as part of their staff. Now, four years later, numerous districts in our area have begun their own energy management program, or are in the process of beginning one. I am certain that the success of our program has had a lot to do with that.

The success of our program is because you — the users of our energy consuming devices — use them wisely. Shutting off the lights when a room (classroom, bathroom, faculty room, office, etc.) is empty, shutting down computers at the end of each day (or whenever not in use), and turning off the window air conditioners at the end of the day does make a difference. Thank you for your efforts and let’s have another great and energy-wise
school year!