Tips to Save Energy at School During the Holidays

Along with holiday parties and exams, the end of the semester brings an opportunity to save energy and money over the winter holiday recess. Here are four easy ways your school can engage in a Holiday Energy Shut Down:

Turn off all lights that are not needed for security

In a typical school, lighting accounts for 30 percent of all electricity used. Turning off lights is one of the simplest ways to save energy over a holiday break, summer break or even a long weekend. And everyone can get involved by simply flipping the switches throughout the school building. Winter break can also be a good time to ensure all outside and security lights are correctly timed to illuminate only at night.

Set the thermostat back in cold climates

As with any home, a school's single largest source of energy use – and thus the highest utility cost – is associated with heating and cooling the building. With no one around to feel that warm air during the holiday break, schools are better off cutting the thermostat way back: 55 degrees or thereabouts is a good temperature for a long break, while 60-63 may be more appropriate for a shorter break. The energy or facilities manager should be consulted, however, to determine the set-back temperature.

Turn off computers

With the expansion of school computer labs, the typical desktop computer adds a significant load to school energy budgets, accounting for about 8 percent of the electricity load in an average school building. Hooking up computers to power strips makes for an easy, school-wide shutdown that can save a lot of energy during the holiday break. Better yet, schools can extend savings throughout the year by instituting a policy to shut down computers every night.

Turn off and unplug all unused equipment

Even if all of the appliances at your school are turned off, they continue to draw a small amount of energy if they remain plugged in. With most classrooms carrying plug loads from computers, printers, TVs and other devices, this “phantom load” – though relatively small at around 1-5 watts per appliance – can quickly add up . Almost any product with an external power supply, remote control or continuous display function (including an LED), or one that charges batteries will draw power when plugged in. The best way to zap these loads is to plug appliances into a power strip and cut the power with one flick of the strip to “OFF.”

Bonus

When planning your shut down, consider the unused appliances in the shop or arts studios (perhaps the ceramic kiln), the science lab and Phys Ed/sports facilities. Other energy-saving opportunities include unplugging the soda/vending machines (or installing a VendMiser or similar device) and turning down the hot water heater's temperature setting.