The pennies, nickels and dimes that we each save can amount to huge potential savings when we consider ourselves part of a very large team. The potential district wide cost avoidance for classroom activities amounts to over $100,000 per year. And these areas represent only a small slice of the energy pie. So, how can I impact the district energy consumption in my classroom? Read on.

1. Close my door during class time.
   Corridors in most schools are not heated/cooled to the same level that the classrooms are. A typical classroom heat pump is sized for the 900 square feet of classroom space. Leaving the classroom door open requires the heat pump to heat/cool a space many times that of the classroom, wasting energy and making the classroom feel the effects of opening outside doors.
2. Turn off my lights when I leave my room
   One 4 bulb fluorescent fixture consumes approximately 180 Watts of power. If my classroom has 20 fixtures I can save the district $30/year by turning the lights off for an hour/day when the room is not occupied. Looking at this from a district wide standpoint that is $12,000/year in cost avoidance.
3. Unplug my TV/VCR/DVD, etc. when not in use.
   Televisions, DVD/video players, microwaves, coffee pots, etc. consume energy even when turned off. A typical setup of a TV, DVD and VCR may consume over 15 Watts of energy, just sitting there plugged in. That is a potential cost of $4,000/year if left plugged in during the school year. 
4. Shutdown my computer, turn off my monitor, speakers and printer at the end of each day using the surge protector.
   If all computers and monitors were left running 24 hours per day for the entire school year (August-May), it would cost the district just shy of $22,000. Shutting down my computer at the end of each day will help save the district.
   A computer, monitor and printer left connected to a power source is similar to the TV example above. Turning the power off at the surge protector at the end of each day will save the school district an additional $5,000 per year.
5. Ask my IT technician to program my PC(s) and monitor(s) for the “energy saver” mode after 10 minutes of inactivity.
   If my computer and monitor are not programmed to go into energy save mode they can consume as much as 200 Watts of power. Screen Savers do not conserve energy. Using power management can save over 70% of power consumption. That is a $4/year saving per computer or a district cost avoidance potential of $8,000/year.