Baby, it’s cold inside

The indoor temperatures may have some students scheming to build small hand-warming fires with their number twos or others dreaming of spring break earlier than usual, while shivering during block three. No, it’s not all a plot cooked up by the administration to enforce the dress code or just a petty money-saving tactic; it’s the energy initiative.

Adopted by the school board last spring, the energy project unveiled a set of guidelines aiming to conserve both energy and natural resources, reducing the consumption of electricity, natural gas, and water, in school buildings across the district. According to Principal Annetta Petty, a main motivation behind the implementation of the project was a decrease in revenue and an increased cost of energy. This decrease in revenue lies in the actions of the Indiana legislature in the spring, where money from property tax caps was moved to the state instead of locally. This gives the state control over school budgets, with schools now lumped together with prisons and road projects for money.

“Before, we’d build a budget on projected needs and see how much that costs, but now, the state looks at their revenue and divides it between schools, giving only what they can,” Petty said. “We may budget for $50 million, but the state can only give $45 million, so we have to make that work.”

Another motivation behind the project was the benefit for the environment, Petty said. Conserving natural resources is “the right thing to do, and good for the planet.”

Tim Sturgeon, energy educator and building coordinator, said he sees the project as a good opportunity to make a difference both with tax payers’ dollars and in the environment.

“I love the fact we’re reducing our carbon footprint and taking proactive part in helping the environment,” Sturgeon said.

Sturgeon was hired to help educate faculty and staff on how to adjust habits to bring about energy conservation. He calls his position a “24/7 job,” as he makes energy audits at all times of the day, making sure schools follow the implemented conservation guidelines. During these audits, he pulls up an “energy report card,” highlighting specific things that schools are doing right and wrong. For example, doors should be shut when heating or cooling is in use, so if a classroom door is accidentally left open, that would be noted. The same goes for whether lights are off in unoccupied areas, or if thermostat settings are okay.

While before the initiative, the buildings weren’t necessarily just frivolously running up an electric bill, it was apparent that some practices could be changed.

“It wasn’t that we were inefficient before, it was just things like when the commons lights wouldn’t go off until 4:00 p.m.; why?” assistant principal Dan Swafford said.

Specifics included in the plan are cooling temperatures running at 74-78 degrees when the building is occupied and 85 degrees when unoccupied and heating temperatures running at 68-72 degrees occupied and 55 degrees unoccupied. According to Sturgeon, these temperatures were decided upon by Energy Education, the company the school is involved with to learn these energy conserving techniques.

“68-72 [degrees] maintains a good educational environment—not too hot that students are falling asleep and not too cold that that’s all they can think about,” Sturgeon said.

Hallways are kept at 65 degrees, cooler than classrooms, in the winter because they’re not occupied for long.

“I’ve been told student get to class quicker because it’s colder,” Sturgeon said.

Another of Sturgeon’s tasks is publicizing statistics to the school. While he is unable to give a dollar amount in savings before presenting the figure to the school board, a percentage of energy usage savings is available. According to Sturgeon, the there’s been a 24 percent reduction in electricity usage and a 40.42 percent reduction in gas usage.

Money-saving, yes, and good for the environment, too, the plan stresses three areas of energy consumption: heating, lighting, and water. Not only is it using tax payer’s dollars wisely, the energy project allows the money saved to go back to what really matters: the students and faculty the buildings shelter. And it’s the change in behavior and habits of students and faculty that can make the project really work.

“Buildings don’t use energy, people do,” Sturgeon said.

Because this project is still new, problems may arise. In order to keep on top of temperature issues, rooms have “data loggers” in them that log the temperature and humidity in a room. If temperatures need to be tweaked to achieve a better comfort level, that can be done. It’s important to keep in mind though, that everything can’t be changed or fixed at once; it’s an ongoing process.

“This is a marathon run, not a sprint,” Sturgeon said.