School Energy Saving Tips

How Schools Can Save Energy, Conserve Water, and Fund Improvement Projects

School energy saving tips. America’s schools have a big opportunity to save money and help the environment. With nearly 140,000 public and private K-12 schools, even small changes can make a huge impact. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 30% of the energy used in schools is wasted. This isn’t just an environmental problem; it’s a financial one, too.

Energy costs are the second-largest expense for school districts after salaries, adding up to roughly $8 billion annually nationwide. The good news? The EPA estimates that schools can save as much as $2 billion of that by becoming more energy efficient. Every kilowatt-hour (kWh) saved reduces emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide (a key component of acid rain), and nitrogen oxides (which cause smog).

Actionable Tips for Saving Energy

Saving energy in schools starts with a plan. By creating a comprehensive strategy, you can get the entire school community—from staff to students—involved.

Building-Wide Strategies

• Make it a policy. Create a formal energy-saving policy for your school or district. This provides a clear framework and shows a commitment to the cause.

• Educate and empower. Get your team on board. Educating staff on how they can improve operational efficiency can have a big impact. Consider creating a maintenance mission statement and a plan for all equipment.

• Use data to your advantage. Use web dashboards to display energy usage and share tips. This can help everyone understand the impact of their actions and even create friendly competition or rewards for smart behaviors.

• Regular maintenance is key. A well-maintained system runs more efficiently. Move away from “reactive” maintenance (fixing things only when they break) to a proactive approach, like quarterly equipment checks. This prevents surprises, minimizes costly service calls, and ensures equipment lasts longer.

Specific System Upgrades & Habits

• Optimize HVAC systems. Monitor key points like chilled water and air temperatures. Setting these to the minimum level needed for comfort saves energy and reduces stress on mechanical systems. Eliminate equipment rattles and shakes, which are often a sign of costly vibration.

• Consider new, high-efficiency equipment. Upgrading to new boilers, chillers, or rooftop units can lower operating costs by up to 30%.

• Match lighting and HVAC to occupancy. Install sensors and controls so that lights, heat, and cooling are only on when rooms are occupied. This is a simple way to avoid wasting energy in empty classrooms, offices, and hallways.

• Harness natural elements. Utilize daylight to supplement artificial light and consider night pre-cooling, which circulates cool air at night to reduce the need for daytime air conditioning.

• Seal air leaks. The EPA estimates that you can save up to 10% on utility bills just by plugging air leaks around windows, doors, and building cracks.

• Look into geothermal systems. Ground source geothermal heat pumps are a highly efficient technology for both heating and cooling.

6 Ways to Conserve Water at School

Water rates have been steadily rising, making water conservation another essential part of a school’s sustainability goals.

1. Make it a policy. Just like with energy, a formal water-saving policy and an effort to educate your team and track usage with dashboards can make a significant difference.

2. Fix leaks and maintain equipment. A slow leak from a faucet or toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a month. Check for leaks regularly and fix them promptly. A simple food coloring test in the toilet tank can reveal a hidden leak in minutes.

3. Install efficient plumbing fixtures. Products like low-flow toilets, urinals, faucets, and showerheads can reduce water usage by 15% or more. In the kitchen, consider using water-efficient dishwashers, pre-rinse spray valves, and foot triggers for faucets.

4. Save on hot water. Old water heaters can be inefficient. Maintain them annually to prevent sediment buildup, which wastes energy. Tankless water heaters and pipe insulation are also good options.

5. Focus on toilets and urinals. Toilets can use as much as 4.5 gallons per flush, while low-volume models use just 1.6 gallons. Upgrading toilets and urinals is one of the most effective water conservation actions a school can take.

6. Manage outdoor water use. Use rainwater harvesting to collect water for non-potable uses. Adopt water-smart landscaping by choosing drought-tolerant plants and using in-ground sensors to water only when necessary
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Funding Your Projects

You don’t need to fund everything at once. Create a staged plan and explore different funding options. Many schools are finding ways to pay for these upgrades through creative financing.

• Grants and loans: Look for state-sponsored grants or low-interest loans for energy and water conservation projects. Programs like the Energy Efficiency Grants offer matching funds for projects like insulation, windows, and lighting.

• Performance contracting: This is a popular way to fund efficiency projects with no upfront investment. An energy services company guarantees that the project’s energy and water savings will cover the cost of the upgrades over time.

• Utility rebates and incentives: Many utility companies offer incentives for energy-saving upgrades. Check with your local providers like ComEd Energy Efficiency Program and Nicor Gas for available rebates on lighting, HVAC systems, and free energy assessments.

• Online resources: ENERGY STAR Cash Flow Opportunity Calculatortor help make decisions about the most effective timing of energy-efficient product purchases. Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.

• See EPA’s Energy Efficiency Programs in K-12 Schools: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs.

School Energy Saving Tips

1.  Create a policy for your school energy savings.
   1. Educate your team to improve operational efficiency that pays higher dividends.
   2. Consider developing a maintenance mission statement and plan of equipment operation, history, maintenance, costs.
   3. Create Web dashboards to educate everyone and offer tips and rewards for wise behaviors.
   4. Involve others outside your school for energy saving help.
2. Regular maintenance is the best way to minimize service calls, eliminate surprises, and control your total cost of operation. Consider quarterly equipment maintenance planning. Maintenance programs can be reactive (wait till it breaks), preventive (time scheduled) and predictive (basing maintenance need on the actual condition of the machine).
3. Federal Energy Management Program. Properly maintained equipment is safer. Improve the comfort and health of building occupants with regular equipment maintenance that supports a healthy indoor environment. Confirm the designed life expectancy of equipment is achieved.
4. Monitor key HVAC points like chilled water temperature, hot water temperature, discharge air temperatures, and fan CFM. Setting these values to the minimum levels required for comfort will save energy and reduce stress on mechanical systems.
5. Eliminate equipment shakes, rattles. Excessive vibration is costing you money.
6. New high efficiency, boilers, gas furnace, chiller, cooling tower or rooftop package system can lower operating costs up to 30 percent.
7. Chillers – Combine in multiple buildings – run efficient ones first. Isolate off-line chillers and cooling towers to lower energy usage.
8. Cooling tower. There are numerous ways for the system to waste water when the system is not properly maintained.
   • Shut off water-cooled air conditioning units when not needed, or replace water-cooled equipment with air-cooled systems.
   • Many cooling towers operate below the suggested levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) unnecessarily. Adjust boiler and cooling tower blowdown rate to maintain TDS at levels recommended by manufacturers’ specifications.
9. Add thermostats. Install or adjust programmable duct zoning to control heat-cool temps when rooms are empty.
10. Match HVAC and lighting to occupancy. Install controls that enable systems to provide light, heat and cooling to rooms only when they are occupied to improve school energy saving.
11. Night pre-cooling involves the circulation of cool air within a building during the nighttime hours with the intent of cooling the structure when utility costs are lower. The cooled structure is then able to serve as a heat sink during the daytime hours, reducing the mechanical cooling required.
12. Heat recovery allows you to pre-heat air or water meaning the heating system needs to use less energy.
13. Pumps in most HVAC systems are oversized. Adjust impellor to proper size for energy savings.
14. Daylight can supplement artificial light while improving productivity. Smart lighting systems use occupancy, time of day and light sensors to control dimmable fixtures and coordinate with automated shade systems.
15. Insulate air ducts in unconditioned space – energy gain of 10% to 30%.
16. Plugging air leaks – According to the EPA and Energy Star, save up to 10 percent on utility bills just by plugging building, door, window air leaks.
17. Ground source Geothermal heat pumps – energy efficient technologies for providing heating and cooling.

Got School Energy Saving Questions? PDM Has Answers.

Ask PDM Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Since 1885 for a free consultation in Joliet SW Chicago suburbs. We understand schools and can help you with a quality maintenance program for top-notch performance. Contact PDM Plumbing, Heating, Cooling online. or call 815-390-7095.