Good Question

With the District's new Energy policy going into effect this July, staff has been asked to remove all personal appliances. Today I was asked about the use of personal size refrigerators versus full-sized models.

The cost to operate just two mini fridges is approximately the same as one full sized refrigerator. It is much more cost effective to remove all the personal refrigerators throughout the district and add a few standard size energy efficient models to the staff lunch/break rooms. Some buildings have 30+ mini fridges so the savings will be substantial once these are removed.

We will be keeping money directly in our classrooms by making simple changes like removing personal appliances.

Thanks for doing your part!

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That's a lot of energy!

Schools in the United States spend $8 billion a year on energy, second only to salaries and more than is spent on books and computers.

Wow, that's a lot of energy AND a lot of money. By making simple changes and being more concious of our energy use, we CAN make a difference.

So please turn off the lights and power down the electronics when you can.  Thanks for doing your part!

Energy Thought for Today

Adjusting heating or cooling temperatures by just 1 degree Fahrenheit results in a 1 to 2 percent energy savings. It may not sound like much but it does add up and make a difference.

Game Show coming to GD!

Glendale is the first school to take advantage of the Energy Challenge Game Show provided to the district by SEE.  The 4th graders at Glendale will be enjoying this fun and educational activity the first week of June.

Thank you, Mrs. Donohue for getting on the Energy Game Show schedule!

Who else wants to use this cool resource? Contact me via email or at ext 0051.

Paper or Plastic?

The next time you are asked "paper or plastic?" consider the following statistic... Only about 700 paper bags can be made from one 15-year old tree.

Consider bringing along a re-usable bag or two the next time you head out shopping. Some stores even give you credit for bringing along your own bags.

So together we can save a lot of trees, one bag at a time :)

Here's a thought...

If 10,000 schools turned off their lights for one minute they would save $81,885.

If those same schools turned out their lights every time they went to recess, they would save more than $4.9 million.

Just your energy thought for the day.

Easy Bake Ovens

To piggy back on an earlier post about the heat generated by incandescent bulbs, a 100 watt bulb in an Easy Bake Oven reaches temperatures between 350 and 375 degrees F. It can bake any recipe which requires a 350 degree baking temp, just in miniature proportions.

This gives you an idea of just how much heat is generated by a single incandescent light bulb but this doesn't mean you should stop using your conventional oven and place baking pans on your living room lamps. Just think about how you can save both energy and cooling costs by replacing standard bulbs with CFLs.

Unrelated to energy but as a fun side note, the Easy Bake Oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2006 and no, I never had one growing up even though I really, really wanted one for my 7th birthday.

Energy Star Products

If you want to find products that make a difference, check out this link from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy...

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_find_es_products

What is SEE?

If you want to learn more about

Schools for Energy Efficiency,

visit their website at

http://www.seeprograms.com/

Beware of Energy Vampires

Many electronic devices are ready to operate or receive signals at all times so they act like vampires silently sucking away energy even when they are turned off.  This wasted energy is known as standby or phantom energy loss.

Some of the biggest energy wasters in use today are the adapters that come with rechargeable battery-powered cordless phones, cell phones, digital cameras, music players, power tools, and other electronic devices. Most draw power whenever they’re plugged into an outlet, regardless of whether the device battery is fully charged—or even connected. Other culprits include appliances or electronic equipment with standby capability such as televisions, computer monitors and items with a digital clock display such as microwaves, DVD players, and stereo systems.

So take a look around for the Energy Vampires in your classroom, office, home, or wherever you have electronics plugged in to an outlet.

Did you know?

By now you have probably heard that compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs but here is something else to consider...

Standard incandescent bulbs create more heat than light, up to 90% of the energy these bulbs use is given off as heat. When running AC, incandescent bulbs are actually working against you.  If you switch to CFLs your cooling costs will go down along with your lighting costs.

Just an energy thought for the day!

Energy Game Show coming soon!

Beginning the week of May 31st through the end of the school year, the Energy Game Show Challenge will be in our district.

This video game has a fun interactive format complete with wireless buzzers for ringing in and is a great educational resource for both students and staff. It is set up similarly to Jeopardy with Energy related trivia questions.

It can be played in about 10-15 minutes or can take up a whole class period if needed. If you are looking for a little filler material or just a diversion at the end of the school year, consider using this really cool resource available to us from SEE.

I would love to schedule a visit to your building with the Energy Game Show Challenge. Please contact me via email or at ext 0051 to get on the schedule.

the Energy Hog

At the April SEE Steering Committee meeting in the district, we had a surprise visit from the Energy Hog. This was a little sneak peek of the mascot type character available to us in year two of the SEE program. He entered the meeting and immediately flipped on all the extra light switches in the room trying to use as much energy as possible.  He comes complete with scripts and props for making fun presentations out in the schools. Be thinking about where and when you would like him to make appearances next fall.