Energy Conservation Plan

Energy Conservation Plan

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I. Purpose Aldine Independent School District Energy Conservation Plan To institute a program for the efficient management of energy consuming equipment in the district s buildings, without imposing hardships on the energy user. House Bill 3693 section 44.902 and Senate Bill 12 requires the board of trustees to establish a goal to reduce the school district's annual electric consumption by five percent each state fiscal year for six years beginning September 1, 2007. Section 2264.001 requires the district to report the metered amount of electricity, water and natural gas consumed and to make that information publicly accessible on the district s website. II. Objective To significantly reduce energy waste and to maintain an appropriate rate of increase of energy consumption, based on growth and facilities expansion. Provide a healthy and comfortable environment for students and staff in the most energy efficient manner. Evaluate energy use and cost and develop and implement practices to improve the efficiency of the district s energy users. Raise the awareness of energy conservation among the entire Aldine I.S.D. community. To use our water resources in and efficient manner. To instill good stewardship of the resources entrusted to Aldine I.S.D. III. Scope A. This program outlines the action to be taken to implement a program of management for the heating, ventilation, air condition (HVAC), lighting and water resources, to reduce wasted energy and water in all facilities of the school district. B. This program covers the principal, faculty, staff and students and central office personnel involvement. C. This program also outlines the analysis, evaluation, and reporting of the program s effectiveness annually. 3

IV. Components of the Program A. The program will be organized in the following major areas. 1. Schools participation 2. Rebate and recognition 3. Building operation and other operations a. Maximum and minimum temperature setting b. Heating, air conditioning and lighting on and off time c. Blackout program d. Water Conservation 4. Summer Shutdown 5. Central Office support a. Principals and Teachers b. Maintenance c. Food Service d. Buildings & Properties e. Athletics 6. Glossary of Terms B. Details For this program to be effective every employee starting with the Superintendent and the students must be active participants. 1. School participation a. Include Energy Conservation in the science curriculum for all grades. b. Develop a school Energy Conservation Committee that would meet twice a year to set goals for the school and develop ideas that will involve student participation, such as the Student Watts Watcher Program. c. Recognize and reward campuses for their energy conservation practices according to the table on page 6 of this document. d. Understand that each principal and the support facilities administrator are responsible for the energy consumption of his/her building. 4

e. Steps should be made to ensure all of the air conditioning, heating and lighting systems controlled at the campus are turned off at the appropriate time. It will be communicated to the Principal by phone and by email when these systems are found left ON during after hour inspections. 2. Rebate program The Energy Reduction Rebate Program is designed to reduce the level of energy consumption to an appropriate level. The district will rebate a portion of the dollar savings back to those schools that show an energy usage reduction using kilowatt per square foot as the determining criteria. This program will begin with the 2007-2008 school year, using 2006-2007 as the base year for comparative analysis. These rebates will be awarded based on the chart on page 6 of this document. The first annual rebates will be given in August 2008. In addition to the annual rebates, each month one campus with the largest energy reduction using kilowatt per square foot will be awarded $1,000.00. These monthly rebates will be awarded based on the power provider s billing cycle a. Schools will be permitted to use their funds for agency and campus improvement needs. (i.e. landscaping, equipment, etc.) b. The monthly usage reports will be made available on the district s website as required by House Bill 3693. c. Temporary classrooms are the only exception to the district s unoccupied set points. Due to the heating and cooling capacity of these units, exceptions to the norm are necessary to ensure a comfortable and healthy learning environment. The unoccupied set points will be 64 degrees Fahrenheit for heating and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling. During the summer months when these temporary classrooms are not being used they should be switched to the OFF position for energy conservation. 5

d. Schools will receive rebate based on the following energy reduction table. Category 1 High Schools 15% and up reduction in kilowatt/square foot $6,000 10% - 14% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $4,500 6% - 9% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $3,500 4% - 5% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $1,500 1% - 3% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $1,000 Category 2 W.T. Hall High School, Carver High School and Ninth grade schools 15% and up reduction in kilowatt/square foot $6,000 10% - 14% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $4,500 6% - 9% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $3,500 4% - 5% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $1,500 1% - 3% reduction in kilowatt/square foot - $1,000 Category 3 Middle and Intermediate Schools 15% and up reduction in kilowatt/square foot $4,000 10% - 14% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $3,000 6% - 9% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $2,500 4% - 5% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $1,000 1% - 3% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $700 Category 4 Elementary schools, EC/PK schools and all other facilities 15% and up reduction in kilowatt/square foot $3,000 10% - 14% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $2,000 6% - 9% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $1,500 4% - 5% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $800 1% - 3% reduction in kilowatt/square foot $500 6

3. Building Operations a. The occupied temperature setting district-wide is 74-75 degrees cooling and between 70-72 degrees heating b. The unoccupied temperature setting district-wide is 95 for cooling and 45 for heating. c. Temporary classrooms are the only exception to the district s unoccupied set points. Due to the heating and cooling capacity of these units, exceptions to the norm are necessary to ensure a comfortable and healthy learning environment. The unoccupied set points will be 64 degrees Fahrenheit for heating and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling. During the summer months when these temporary classrooms are not being used they should be switched to the OFF position for energy conservation. d. Optimum start/stop will be used where applicable. Optimum start/stop analyzes information and attempts to have conditioned space at set point at the scheduled time. Air conditioning and heating standard default start time for all categories will be 6:00 a.m. and the standard default shutdown times are listed below by category. High Schools and Ninth Grade Schools 4:30 p.m. Middle and Intermediate Schools 5:00 p.m. Elementary & EC/PK Schools 4:30 p.m. HVAC request should be submitted by the campus for any air conditioning, heating and lighting needs outside the schedule for each of the above categories. When events such as extended day and tutoring are consistent and reoccurring for a range of dates, a single HVAC request may be submitted by the campus to include the entire date range. The Energy Manager can assist in the proper procedure for scheduling. e. Parking lot lighting shall be turned on no earlier than 15 minutes prior to scheduled employee or staff arrival time. Lights are to be turned off in the morning when the sun rises, but not later than 7:30 a.m. They may be turned back on for fifteen minutes as the custodians are leaving for the night. 7

f. Parking lot lights shall remain on during any school night function at the school. However, schools with parking lot lights controlled by an energy management system should always request them along with air conditioning and heating systems for events outside the standard default operating times. g. All requests for heating, cooling and lighting must be approved by the principal and the request must be made by the principal and or his/her designee. All air conditioning, heating and lighting request should be made at least 5 days prior to the event. When request are made after 3 days prior to the event the campus will be held responsible for any overtime required to turn these systems on. All events requiring air conditioning, heating and lighting require a request to be submitted. h. Continue the district total blackout program after the custodians leave. i. Assign the head custodians the responsibility of checking the building at night to assure that all equipment that should be off is off. j. Where only portions of a facility is occupied, try to restrict A/C and heat and lighting to that section. k. When requesting HVAC for after hours events only request the spaces needed and when possible l. Close doors and windows between conditioned and unconditioned areas. m. Refrain from using electric heaters and individual fans when the normal heating and cooling systems are operating. n. Keep walls, windows and lights clean for better reflection of lights. o. Check the operation of exterior door periodically to be sure they are closing properly, if not, send in a work order. 8

p. All air conditioning systems at all campuses should be turned off during the summer months except in the following areas, under the following conditions: 1. Offices when occupied by office personnel and administration. 2. Summer school areas. The summer school program should be held in one area of the building, if possible. 3. As per the Summer Air Plan created in 2007. The plan allows for the following: 1) will address the needs for summer school in the month of June. 2) will allow for the administration/office area to run in the summer when office staff are present 3) accommodations for custodians Monday thru Friday from 10am 2 pm only in the area they working in from July until teachers return. q. The lighting should be turned off after leaving the classroom and turned on by the custodian only when he/she is cleaning that room. r. In those classrooms with individual thermostat controls, the principal or his/her designee will be responsible for maintaining the thermostat at the district wide setting. Call the maintenance department if calibration or setting services are needed. s. In those building with energy management systems, Buildings and Properties will be responsible for setting the thermostat. t. Exit lights and interior security lights should be left on if required by the fire department. u. Lights in the gymnasiums, auditoriums and cafeterias should not be left on unless they are being utilized by students or being cleaned. v. Turn off aesthetic lighting. w. Turn off kitchen and cafeteria HVAC and lighting systems off after last lunch and when cafeteria workers leave. x. Water Conservation 1. The watering of grass and plants should be done in the early morning hours to prevent evaporation as much as possible. 2. Report any plumbing leaks to the maintenance department immediately. 9

3. Have custodians check the buildings throughout the day and night shifts for running water. If custodian can not turn off the water, call maintenance. 4. Standing water without cause should be reported to the maintenance department for investigation. 4. Summertime shutdown procedures: a. Turn off air conditioners except as noted in energy conservation guidelines. b. Unplug all water fountains except one. c. Unplug coping machines, typewriters, etc. d. Clean bulbs and lens. 5. Central Office Support a. Principals and Teachers 1. Consolidate after hours programs into common air conditioned zones to prevent waste. The Energy Manager will provide information to assist in this practice. 2. All air conditioning, heating and lighting request should be made at least 5 days prior to the event. When request are made after 3 days prior to the event the campus will be held responsible for any overtime required to turn these systems on. 3. All events requiring air conditioning, heating and lighting require a request to be submitted. This includes open house, rentals and after school hour needs. 4. Temporary classrooms are the only exception to the district s unoccupied set points. Due to the heating and cooling capacity of these units, exceptions to the norm are necessary to ensure a comfortable and healthy learning environment. The unoccupied set points will be 64 degrees Fahrenheit for heating and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling. During the summer months when these temporary classrooms are not being used they should be switched to the OFF position for energy conservation. 10

5. Computers, monitors, printers, copiers and other electrical devices should be turned off or programmed to use the energy conservation or sleep mode at the end of the day. 6. HVAC systems will run throughout the summer on special schedules as indicated on page 9 of this document. Summary Table for Principal and Teachers Topic Action How Support After hours activities Manage after hours activities that require temperature control or ventilation. Consolidate usage to building zones with common air conditioning equipment. When at all possible activities should be scheduled during the normal schedule. Facilities record, track and review energy usage so that school personnel can learn about the campus energy usage. Weekend activities Portable classrooms Manage weekend activities that require temperature control or ventilation. Using air conditioning and heating during class and make sure they are set at the district approved set points. Consolidate usage to building zones with common air conditioning equipment. Thermostats in these classrooms should be set to the approved occupied set points while in use and unoccupied set points when they are not being used. Energy Manager will gladly offer support on the details concerning common air conditioning zones. Refer to the Energy Conservation Plan manual for confirmation of the occupied and unoccupied set points Turning off equipment Computers, monitors, printers, copiers and other electrical devices should be turned off or programmed to use the energy conservation or sleep mode at the end of the day. Turn off, unplug or program devices to go into "sleep" mode or energy conservation mode when not in use. Most devices provide information in the product manual. Contact Technology Services for additional support. Doors Make sure doors remain closed at all times and never prop doors open. Lights Lights should be turned off anytime areas are unoccupied. Other ideas Send suggestions to Energy Manager. Email. Marshall Schroeder mschroeder@aldine.k12.tx.us Building & Properties Department 11

b. Maintenance Department 1. Install or repair the 24-hour and seven-day timers to control HVAC equipment. 2. New and existing timers need to be checked monthly and readjusted if necessary to meet the following: a. Seasonal requirements for morning start-up. b. Seasonal opportunity for early shut down. c. Proper time setting. 3. Set all thermostats at the district wide temperature setting. 4. Water heaters serving only restrooms and/or showers should be operated at 110 degree F. (Higher temperatures may be needed in heaters undersized for their load.) Dishwasher booster heaters may require temperatures as high as 140 degree F., but this temperature should be verified. 5. Annual maintenance for water heaters should include burner air/fuel adjustments. Boiler-type heaters should have their tubes checked and cleaned if necessary. 6. For maximum efficiency, plan a maintenance schedule for all motors, lubrication, filter replacement, strainer cleaning and checking of cooling tower. 7. Thermostats which do not accurately control the heat and air conditioning should be calibrated for accuracy. 8. Make sure that all filters, diffusers, registers and grilles are cleaned and/or replaced on a regular schedule. 9. Chilled water systems should be set at the highest temperature required to provide cooling. 10. Where gas boilers are used, flame should be set for proper gasair ratio for maximum efficiency. 11. Make sure chilled and hot water lines, coolant lines, and ducts are insulated properly. 12. Set door closers so that doors close as rapidly as possible without creating a safety hazard. 12

13. Periodically check and clean evaporator coils, fan coils, and condenser coils to assure maximum efficiency. 14. In schools with cooling towers: a. Check overflow pipe clearance of cooling tower for proper operating level. b. Keep intake strainer of the water tower clean. 15. In schools with electric heating: a. Keep heat transfer surface of all electric heating units clean and unobstructed. b. Keep air movement in and out of the units unobstructed. c. Inspect heating elements, controls, and fans on a periodic basis to ensure proper functioning. 16. Minimize fresh air into the heating and air conditioning system. 17. Broken glass should be replaced as quickly as possible. 18. Repair water damaged insulation. 19. Inspect pipes for broken or missing insulation and repair it. 20. Check to be sure heating pilots are turned off during warm weather. (Summer) c. Child Nutrition 1. Dishwasher booster heater temperatures should be verified for proper temperature setting. 2. Wherever possible, water heater should be turned off for the summer months. 3. All walk-in coolers and freezers should have appropriate plastic strip curtains installed in their doorways. 4. Once a year the rubber seals on all cooler and freezer units should be checked and replaced as needed. 5. An annual maintenance check should be made on all refrigeration equipment. Freon level, Freon-tube insulation, coil cleanliness, belts and bearings should all be inspected and cared for as appropriate. 13

6. Set domestic hot water for the kitchen at the lowest acceptable level. 7. Keep doors and windows close between condition and uncondition areas. d. Buildings and Properties 1. Assist schools by providing information on how to reduce energy consumption. 2. Maintain a district webpage with usage data as required by House Bill 3693 and send monthly energy usage report to the schools. 3. Evaluate utility rate structures annually and ensure proper rate selection for each facility. 4. Study and analyze utilization of energies and conduct energy audits at each facility. 5. Assist schools in establishing and coordinating district energy committee. 6. Conduct and promote energy awareness and training programs at the school campuses. Obtain and make available training sources and materials. 7. Prepare the annual energy budget. (Electric, gas and water) 8. Design energy conservation incentive and reward programs. 9. Visit the schools and buildings to see that the energy saving procedures are in place and working. Check schools at night to see if the lights and the HVAC system are off. 10. Conduct workshops and seminars for employees and students. 11. Audit utility bills for correct rates and unusual usage. 12. Work with utility companies to receive more cost effective rates. 13. Helps prepare articles for new releases energy program to gain support of campuses and the community. 14

14. Review the program annually and make recommendations that will improve its effectiveness. e. Athletics 1. Do not run the HVAC system (Heating & Cooling) when the facility is not occupied. 2. Use lighting only when justified. 3. Water the fields early in the morning for a set length of time to reduce evaporation. 4. Weekend gym practices and other use of the building should have the principal s approval. 5. Inform the appropriate individuals of showers, sinks, commodes or other leaks in the athletic facilities. 6. Glossary of terms a. HVAC heating, venting and air conditioning b. Blackout program all exterior lights are turned off after employees, staff and community leave the facility c. Occupied set points is the temperature which the air conditioning and heating systems are set to maintain while students, staff and community are present. The occupied set point for cooling is 74-75 degrees Fahrenheit while the heating set point is 70-72 degrees Fahrenheit. d. Unoccupied set points - is the temperature which the air conditioning and heating systems are set to maintain while students, staff and community are not present. The unoccupied set point for cooling is 95 degrees Fahrenheit while the heating set point is 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Temporary classrooms are the only exception to the district s unoccupied set points. Due to the heating and cooling capacity of these units, exceptions to the norm are necessary to ensure a comfortable and healthy learning environment. The unoccupied set points will be 64 degrees Fahrenheit for heating and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling. During the summer months when these temporary classrooms are not being used they should be switched to the OFF position for energy conservation. e. Optimum start/stop component of the energy management system that many of the district s campuses use. It analyzes information and makes determinations that allow the temperature of the controlled spaces to be at the desired set point at the scheduled time. 15

School Energy Committee Optional Purpose: Programs: Benefits: Involve employees and students in the district wide Energy Conservation Plan. Energy Committee on all school campus. Watt Watchers on all campus. A group of students that look for wasted energy. 1. Save the district utility dollars. 2. Awareness of energy consumption and energy conservation. Responsibilities: 1. Set goal and policies in conjunction with the Energy Management Program. 2. To direct and oversee the Watt Watcher programs. 3. To maintain a constant communication with the Energy Manager. Incentives: Contests: 1. Lower utilities resulting in monetary rebates for the school. 2. Recognition at the board meeting. 3. Privilege of displaying the recognition award for the largest monthly reduction in BTU s. 4. Certificates to actual participants in the programs. Elementary campuses will have an Energy Conservation Poster Contest during the first week of March. The contest will be supervised by the Energy Committee. This is where the students will design an 8 ½ x 11 poster exhibiting energy conservation. Each school will select one outstanding entry and send that poster to the Energy Managers office. Each campus winning entry will be judged by a representation from the high school s Watt Watcher Programs to determine one district Energy Conservation Poster Contest winner. The winners will be recognized locally in the community. Secondary campuses will have an Energy Conservation Essay Contest during the first week of March. The contest will be supervised by the school Energy Committee. This is where the students will develop an essay of no more than two pages in length pertaining to Energy Conservation. Each school will select one outstanding entry and send that winner to the Energy Manager s office. Each campus winning entry will be judged by a group of central office professional to determine one district Energy Conservation Essay Contest winner. The district winner will be posted in the local newspapers. 16

The Energy Committee will be made up of Administrator (1) Student (1) Teacher (1) Community volunteer (1) Custodian (1) Cafeteria worker (1) Energy Committee Checklist Support from Central Office-Principal Present Energy Conservation Plan and Energy Committee to staff-principal Select Energy Committee and sent list of names to Energy Managers office-principal Meet with Energy Committee and explain its role-building contact (principal delegate) or Energy Manager. Develop Procedures and support materials-energy Manager or Building contact. Building walks thru-principal, Building contact or Energy Manager. Publicity- Principal/Energy Manager 17