While schools haven’t always had to pay for their electricity use, the current economy and budget cuts have made districts responsible for these payments. As a result, some schools are facing huge electric bills. In fact, according to Energy Star, the nation’s school districts spend more than $7.5 billion annually on energy — more than the money spent on computers and textbooks combined. Even worse, as much as 30 percent of a district’s total energy expense is spent unnecessarily.
ViewSonic has some tips to help school districts save on electricity use while maintaining or even increasing their technology implementation within the classroom:
- Turn Technology Off: Ensure that electronics and lights are turned off at the end of the school day, as well as when they are not in use. This includes computers, overheads, projectors, etc. Remember lights are used in some less obvious areas as well, such as hallways and bathrooms. Also consider replacing lights with more energy efficient bulbs.
- Don’t Let Energy Get you Hot Under the Collar: A big cost for schools can be proper heating and cooling of educational spaces. To keep heat and air conditioning in rooms to maintain temperatures, keep all classroom and office doors closed. Be sure to turn the heat down after school and on weekends as well. If heating and cooling bills are still higher than desired, consider the impact a little landscaping can make. Pinpoint the rooms that get the most sun each day, and try planting trees to shade the windows from the direct rays.
- Computer Labs Can Be Consuming Culprits: Not surprisingly, a school’s computer labs can be a huge energy expense. The heat generated by 30+ computers and CRT or LCD monitors can generate expensive air conditioning bills, and older computer monitors can be big energy consumers as well. Consider a computer lab makeover – ViewSonic’s MultiClient solution for example enables up to 10 individual monitor stations to share a single computer, helping schools reduce overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by as much as 60%. For additional energy savings, Energy Star certified LED displays make a significant impact – up to 60% compared to an equivalent LCD monitor.
- Saving with Solar: Another approach to reducing electricity consumption is by installing solar panels. Take Huntington Beach City School District for example. The district has slashed its electric bills in half and expects to save more than $15 million over the next 25 years in electricity costs. There are plenty of incentives and rebates out there to help your district with the upfront costs of panel installation.
Have an energy-saving tip to share that’s been implemented at your school? Share it with us here on the blog, or tweet it to @ViewSonic.
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