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DCSD ENERGY SAVINGS GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

Douglas County School District is committed to the three pillars of sustainability; economic prosperity, environmental protection, and social development. In an effort to further meet our goals, empowering the students, staff and parents is paramount. Addressing energy savings is one avenue that can offer schools a path toward sustainability. This guide has been developed to offer concrete no-cost and low-cost energy saving strategies for DCSD schools to implement on their own at their own pace. The sustainability department is always available to answer questions or assist in your pursuit toward a more sustainable academic environment.

Learning Objectives-Working with students on the energy savings concepts in this guide offers a unique opportunity for student engagement and covers grades Pre-12 in the Colorado State Standards under Physical Science. https://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/coscience/documents/science_standards_adopted_2009.pdf

State Physical Science Standards: Prepared Graduate Competencies at Grade Levels Apply an understanding that energy exists in various forms, and its transformation and conservation occur in processes that are predictable and measurable

High School

Energy exists in many forms such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, radiant, thermal, and nuclear, that can be quantified and experimentally determined

When energy changes form, it is neither created not destroyed; however, because some is necessarily lost as heat, the amount of energy available to do work decreases Eighth Grade

There are different forms of energy, and those forms of energy can be changed from one form to another – but total energy is conserved

Recognize that waves such as electromagnetic, sound, seismic, and water have common characteristics and unique properties Fourth Grade

Energy comes in many forms such as light, heat, sound, magnetic, chemical, and electrical

The Value of Student Engagement: Energy saving projects empowers and engages students. Their inclusion can provide learning opportunities in areas such as: civic engagement, planning and project management, team building, skills training, research, or leadership roles. Science

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and math principles are often part of the assessment and implementation process to energy savings efforts. Some identified learning objectives are listed below:

To gain an understanding of how energy is used in the school

To investigate the areas of energy use within the school and identify inefficiencies through an energy audit

Collect and analyze data on energy usage in key locations of the school.

Develop an energy action plan that meets the needs of the school

ENERGY LITERACY

FAST FACTS: Only 10 percent of the energy used by an incandescent light bulb produces light; the

rest is given off as heat. That lost energy is money wasted. Light Emitting Diodes-LED bulbs use 25-30% less energy and last

25 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use only a quarter of the

energy of incandescent bulbs and last 8-12 times longer. In the United States, about 49 percent of our energy comes from coal, 20 percent from

natural gas, and 19 percent from nuclear. Fossil fuels account for 86 percent of annual energy use in the U.S. The amount of energy released by burning a wood match is 1 BTU. The total energy

used in the U.S. each year is 99.89 quadrillion BTU. Thirty percent of the energy used in buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily. Schools spend more money on energy than on computers and textbooks combined. If every U.S. household replaced four incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent

bulbs, we'd save as much energy as removing seven million cars from the road. Many idle electronics - TVs, Smart Boards, Computer Screens, DVD players, and printers

use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy "vampires" use 5 percent of our domestic energy and cost consumers more than $3 billion annually.

"Sleep" features that power down electronic devices when they are not in use can save households up to $70 annually.

Source: Eco Schools http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Energy/Facts.aspx

Understanding Demand and Consumption-Resource http://www.think-energy.net/KWvsKWH.htm

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From: Colorado Energy Office-Energy Savings for Schools Program https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/energyoffice/energy-savings-schools

PERFORM AN ENERGY AUDIT AND DEVELOP AN ENERGY ACTION PLAN

Max Krueger, our very own district energy manager, can do an Energy Use Index (EUI) for your building. He can also help you develop a school wide Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP). He can be reached at mkrueger@dcsdk12.org

Eco-Schools Energy Audit: Use this link to guide you in assessing your schools energy use. http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Eco-schools/Audits/Energy-Audit-2014.pdf

Energy Action Plan: Once you complete the energy audit and analyze the data see this link to develop your Energy Action Plan This is the link to Eco-Schools Energy Action Plan http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Energy/Action-Plan.aspx

THINGS YOU CAN DO-BEST PRACTICES

Adopting a culture of energy savings behaviors can go a long way in reducing costs and energy consumption.

1. Hold energy campaigns in your school to help build excitement and create a culture of forming energy savings behaviors.

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2. Turn off lights when you leave the room. Post reminder signs. 3. Keep windows and doors closed when heat and air-conditioning is in use. 4. Add timers to lap top charging carts to be turned on a few hours before the start of

school. Test the amount of time the timer needs to be on charging so the laptops stay

charged as long as needed. (see below)

5. Dress appropriately for the season/weather. Bring layers to school. It saves more energy

to add or remove clothing layers than it does to turn up or down the room temperature.

6. Avoid using space heaters.

7. Set computers and monitors to “sleep” after 10 minutes of inactivity.

8. Use timers for laptop charging carts. Get good quality timers rated for

2500 watts. A place like Home Depot should carry this quality. Expect

to spend $15- 20/timer.

9. Turn off computers and monitors at night.

10. Turn off power strips when you leave at the end of the day.

11. Do a refrigerator audit in your building to see if you can consolidate. Refrigerators use a

lot of energy. Invest in communal refrigerators. For example, one mini-refrigerator for a

group of staff members.

12. When considering installing motion sensors for light fixtures, please be selective. Some

locations are better than others. Contact Operations and Maintenance for more

information. sustainability@dcsdk12.org.

13. Run kilns and other high energy consuming equipment during non-peak usage hours. So

avoid 9am-3pm.

14. Evaluate plug loads and take steps to reduce it. Here are some resources.

http://www.need.org/files/curriculum/guides/PlugLoads.pdf

http://www.estdistribution.com/wp-

content/uploads/2014/04/06ROI_and_Calculator.pdf

INTERIOR LIGHTING STANDARDS

When making any modifications to school lighting be sure you are meeting these lighting standards (fc is the abbreviation for “foot-candle”). Foot-candles are a common unit of measurement used to calculate adequate lighting levels of workspaces in buildings or outdoor spaces. One foot-candle is equal to one lumen per square foot or approximately 10.764 lux. Measurements can be done with a light meter.

Application IESNA National

school averages

State of Colorado

Schools 6CCR 1010-

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Douglas County

Schools standard

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Reading printed material 50 fc 35 fc 35 fc

Drafting Room 75 fc 50 fc 50 fc

Gymnasium

General exercising and recreation 30 fc 20 fc 50 fc

Basketball – high school 75 fc 75fc

Hallway 15-30 fc 5 fc 15-20 fc

Library

Stack lighting, audiovisual, cataloging and

circulation desks

30 fc 35 fc 35 fc

Open study areas 50 fc 35 fc 35 fc

Locker Room 10 fc 10 fc 15-20fc

Maintenance Room

Maintenance & wiring areas, gauge reading 30 fc 20 fc 20-50fc

Science Lab 50 fc 35 fc 35-50fc

Stairwells 15 fc 10 fc 15fc

De-Lamping: is the removal of one or more lamps from a fixture that does not prevent the

remaining lamps in the fixture from operating. It can be a no-cost option for saving energy.

However, a site specific plan is needed and can be done with both staff and students

involvement at your school. The plan includes mapping out

the building and determining the best locations, fixtures, and

patterns for de-lamping. Please submit a work order with

the Operations and Maintenance department to help you design your de-lamping plan. All de-

lamped fixtures should be labeled.

Fixtures that are de-lamped still conduct small amounts electricity even when bulbs are

removed. Operations and Maintenance can help you determine if de-lamping is the best option

for your school. It may be more cost effective to change out the light fixtures to LED.

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LED Upgrades:

LED lighting is a great way to save energy but it is a complex process. Please have the district

and a vender guide you through the process.

Call the Operations and Maintenance Electrical Department 303-387-0459 to help you get

started. -There are certain standards the district uses for LED upgrades.

Upgrading to LED-things to consider:

Upgrade to LED lighting in order of priority:

1. Emergency 24 hour lighting

2. Gymnasium

3. Classrooms

4. Exterior

Some fixtures can be adapted easily to LED, some cannot.

DCSD has a large variety of fixture types and each type has specifications on what is

required to upgrade to LED.

Customized designs on a school by school basis for upgrading to LED are ideal.

Lighting requirements differ in specific areas of a school building (ex: gym vs.

hallways).

Emergency 24 hour lighting must be on at all times and connected to a generator.

These fixtures should not be de-lamped.

Use DSCD approved vendors for biding jobs and for the contract work. This can change

annually.

What is needed when getting a bid from LED lighting vendors?

Cost per Fixture

Cost of Labor

ENERGY VAMPIRES

Look for ways to stop energy vampires from sucking up un-necessary energy.

To do this, begin by evaluating plug loads. Plug loads are electrical devices or appliances that draw power through an electric outlet.

Acceptable Vampires Unacceptable Vampires

Community Refrigerators Individual Mini-refrigerators

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How to Use Timers on Laptop Charging Carts, Power Strips etc:

Calculating plug load and amps is a great way to empower students to do

math! Here is the formula for calculating amps.

Watts divided (symbol) by Volts=Amps

Timers need to be rated correctly for the amount of amps that are being used. This is for fire

safety. Expect to spend $15-20 dollars on a timer that is a good quality for school use. These

can be found at places like Home Depot or electrical supply stores. Calculate the amount of

amps being considered for a timer and add them up. Ratings can be found on the devices or

chargers. If you get a Smart Cart or other laptop charging cart, the cart needs to be rated for

the number of amps going into the cart. This information is applicable to power strips as well.

Calculate the amount of time actually needed to fully charge laptops before the start of school.

Example, start with the timer on two hours before school. If more time is needed, add in 30

minute increments until you find the right balance.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL STANDARDS

Keeping You Comfy:

The Operations and Maintenance Department works hard to

provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere, which contributes to a

favorable learning environment for students, productivity for

teachers and staff, and the comfort, health and wellbeing of all

school occupants. The district has temperature guidelines for energy efficiency and a fully

automated temperature control system. Comfort standards are difficult to define by

temperature and the district settings are based on significant research. We have adopted the

following desired temperature ranges:

Community Coffee Makers Computer Screens

BFI Outlet LED lights Power Strips

Decorative lighting

Printers

Smart Boards

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Occupied Energy Savings Settings Winter (heating season) 70 degrees Summer (cooling season) 74 degrees Both desired set points will have a plus or minus 2 degree tolerance. The automated temperature control system is programed to maximum energy saving settings during unoccupied hours. This system is programed to allow for a period of comfort after school. For extensions or alterations in temperature control settings, please have your building engineer email a HVAC request. One week lead time is preferable.

Unoccupied Energy Savings Settings Winter (heating season) 55 degrees Summer (cooling season) 85 degrees For more information please go to https://www.dcsdk12.org/operations-and-maintenance

Involve Your Community: Think of creative ways to let your community know about your energy savings efforts.

Provide updates on your school web site and school newsletters

Let your neighbors know what you are saving (amount of energy/money) on your school’s marquee

Invite parents and the local community to energy savings events

Let the DSCD Sustainability Department know of your progress for their newsletter

Press release to local newspapers or news stations

Invite local businesses

Celebrate your successes!

REFERENCES

National Wildlife Federation's Eco-Schools, USA http://www.nwf.org/ecoschools/ Colorado Energy Office-Energy Savings for Schools Program https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/energyoffice/energy-savings-schools https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/energyoffice/k-12-schools https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ESS%20Flyer%202016.pdf Questions about the energy savings? Contact us at sustainability@dcsdk12.org.