Your school serves hundreds, potentially even thousands, of students and teachers every day. It takes a lot of energy to keep things running effectively. If your energy bills are getting out of control – or if you, like most schools, need to find new ways to cut some of your operating expenses so that you have more funds for other important things in your daily schedule – one great way to accomplish your goals is to have an energy audit. Does your school really need an energy audit? Check out these key signs.
Oh, you’ve conducted an energy audit in the past. You don’t really need to conduct another one now, do you? The reality is, energy technology is constantly changing. What was normal and accepted five years ago is no longer the standard; you may be able to save a substantial amount of money on your current energy bills by having another audit using today’s metrics.
From turning the lights out in the classroom when they leave to shutting down computers and other machines at the end of the day, many teachers fail to accomplish basic energy-saving measures on a regular basis. Typically, they know what they should be doing; the challenge is getting them to actually do it! Unfortunately, many teachers simply don’t want to hear from their colleagues – or even from the administration – that they need to make changes in their routine. Hearing from an official source, on the other hand, can make teachers more eager to take those key energy-saving measures.
How old is the energy technology in your school building? Do you have smart sensors on your light switches that turn off the lights in the room when people leave? What about your thermostat: are you heating and cooling the school when no one is in it, or is it programmed to reduce the temperature in winter or allow it to rise in summer when there’s no one in the building? If you’re struggling to get the funds for energy-related upgrades or you aren’t sure what upgrades will genuinely benefit your business, an energy audit can help you figure out what steps to take next.
Your school should use approximately the same amount of energy from year to year. While energy costs will vary by month based on the current outside temperature and the school’s needs, you should, overall, be able to budget your energy expenses over the course of the year. If you’ve recently noticed a jump in energy use, especially without corresponding rate increases from your electric company, there’s a good chance that there’s something draining that energy throughout the school. An energy audit can help reveal the culprit and determine whether or not that energy use is really viable.
Most schools struggle with their budget at one point or another. Chances are your school, like others, doesn’t have enough funding for vital programs throughout the building. If you’re looking for ways to cut costs, decreasing your energy bill can create a substantial difference in your budget.
Whether you have students actively doing a unit about protecting the earth or you’re just looking for more ways to help contribute to saving the environment, there are plenty of reasons for a school to go green. An energy audit can help reduce your energy footprint, which decreases energy costs and makes your school greener. Often, going green can help attract a different type of parent and student to your school; this may offer unexpected benefits in the future, too.
Do you need an energy audit to help determine where energy is going throughout your school? If so, contact us today to learn more about how we can conduct an energy audit, provide valuable advice, and put your school in a better position to take control of its energy bill.
