Policy No. 6460 Energey Management Conservation

Energy Management Conservation 

As the School Board of the Cache County School District, we believe our responsibility is to ensure that every effort is made to conserve energy and natural resources while exercising sound financial management. The implementation of this policy is the joint responsibility of the board members, administrators, teachers, students, and support personnel; and its success is based on cooperation at all levels. 

The district will maintain accurate records of energy consumption and cost of energy and will provide information to the local media on the goals and progress of the energy conservation program. The principal will be accountable for energy management on his/her campus with energy audits being conducted and conservation program outlines being updated. Judicious use of the various energy systems of each campus will be the joint responsibility of the principal and head custodian to ensure that an efficient energy posture is maintained on a daily basis. 

Specific areas of emphasis include: 

1. Every student and employee will be expected to contribute to energy efficiency in our district. Every person will be expected to be an “energy saver” as well as an “energy consumer.” 
2. Effective immediately, all unnecessary lighting in unoccupied areas will be turned off. All lights will be turned off when students and teachers leave school. Custodians will turn on lights only in the areas in which they are working. 
3. Energy management on the principal’s campus will be made a part of his/her annual evaluation. 
4. The head custodian at each school will be responsible for a complete and total shutdown of the facility when closed each evening. 
5. Administrative guidelines will be adopted to implement our energy program. 1. Whereas the School Board bears responsibility for the best use of tax dollars, and 2. Whereas public education can provide leadership in developing a realistic energy ethic and awareness of energy needs and costs, 
6. Therefore, The School Board of Cache County School District directs the superintendent and/or his/her agents to develop short-range and long-range strategies in the areas of facilities management dealing with energy awareness and conservation. 

Energy Conservation Guidelines: 

1. Disclaimer: These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive. They may be modified for local conditions. These guidelines supersede all previous instructions related to building management of energy usage guidelines. These Energy guidelines must be observed and implemented as outlined.

Objectives: 

Cache County School District Policy Series 6000: Finance and Operations 

1. Eliminate energy waste 
2. Ensure the comfort for the students 
3. Ensure acceptable indoor air quality per industry standards 

Responsibilities: 

1. Every person is expected to be an “energy saver” as well as an “energy consumer.” B. The teacher is responsible for implementing the guidelines during the time that he/she is present in the classroom. C. The custodian is responsible for control of common areas, i.e., halls, cafeteria, etc. 
2. Since the custodian is typically the last person to leave a building in the evening, he/she is responsible for verification of the nighttime shutdown. 
3. The principal is responsible for the total energy usage of his/her building. F. The energy manager performs routine audits of all facilities and communicates the audit results to the appropriate personnel. 
4. The energy manager provides regular reports to principals indicating energy savings performance. 

General Instructions: 

1. All unnecessary lighting in unoccupied areas will be turned off. Teachers should make certain the lights are turned off when leaving an empty classroom. 
2. All outside lighting shall be off during daylight hours. 
3. Gym lights should not be left on unless the gym is being utilized. 
4. All lights will be turned off when students and teachers leave school. Custodians will turn on lights only in the areas in which they are working. 
5. Refrain from turning lights on unless definitely needed. Remember that lights not only consume electricity, but also give off heat that places an additional load on the air conditioning equipment and thereby increases the use of electricity necessary to cool the room. 
6. Classroom doors shall remain closed when HVAC is operating. Ensure doors between conditioned space and non conditioned space remain closed at all times (i.e. between hallways and gym or pool area). 
7. All exhaust fans should be turned off every day and during unoccupied hours. H. All office machines (copy machines, laminating equipment, etc.) shall be switched off each night and during unoccupied times. Fax machines should remain on. 
8. All computers should be turned off each night. This includes the monitor, local printer, and speakers. Network equipment is excluded. 
9. All capable PC’s should be programmed for the “energy saver” mode using the power management feature. If network constraints restrict this for the PC, ensure the monitor “sleeps” after ten minutes of inactivity. 
10. Use the following guidelines for occupied rooms: 
11. Cooling Season Occupied Set Points - 75-78° F 
12. Heating Season Occupied Set Points: 68-72° F

 

AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT 

1. Occupied temperature settings shall NOT be set below 75° F. 
2. During unoccupied times, the air conditioning equipment shall be off. The unoccupied period begins when the students leave the area at the end of the school day. The temperature of the classroom will be maintained long enough to afford comfort for the period the teacher remains in the classroom after the students have left. 
3. Air conditioning start times may be adjusted (depending on weather) to ensure classroom comfort when school begins. 
4. Ceiling fans should be operated in all areas that have them. 
5. Relative humidity levels shall not exceed 60% at any time. 
6. Air conditioning should not be utilized in classrooms during the summer months unless the classrooms are being used for summer school or year-round school. Relative humidity levels should be monitored to verify level remains below 60%. Air conditioning may be used by exception only or in those schools that are involved in a team-cleaning concept. 
7. In all areas that have evaporative coolers such as shops, kitchens, and gymnasiums, the doors leading the halls, which have air conditioned classrooms or dining areas, should be kept closed as much as possible. 
8. Where cross-ventilation is available during periods of mild weather, shut down HVAC equipment and adjust temperature using windows and doors. Cross-ventilation is defined as having windows and/or doors to the outside on each side of a room. 

HEATING EQUIPMENT 

1. Occupied temperature settings shall NOT be above 72° F. 
2. The unoccupied temperature setting shall be 55° F (i.e. setback). This may be adjusted to a 60° F setting during extreme weather. 
3. The unoccupied time shall begin when the students leave an area. 
4. During the spring and fall when no threat of freezing exists, all steam and forced air heating systems should be switched off during unoccupied times. Hot water heating systems should be switched off using the appropriate loop pumps. 
5. Ensure all domestic hot water systems are set no higher than 120° F or 140° F for cafeteria service (with dishwasher booster). 

Legal References: 

Synopsis: 

Approved by the Board of Education: November 4, 2023

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