Practicing simple energy efficient methods can add up to huge savings, as the Redlands Unified School District (RUSD) has shown during the past 26 months by saving more than $900,000 in energy costs.
“Everyone is an energy consumer, and therefore, everyone can be an energy saver, ” said RUSD energy education specialist James Fotia. “As an example, saving just 15 minutes of lighting per day can save a lot of money. A little bit of awareness from everybody adds up.”
“We’re very proud that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized our strides in energy efficiency and has awarded the district with an Energy Star Leader Top-Performer designation,” he said. “That means that the our school sites, K-12, are in the top 15 percent nationally in energy efficiency as calculated by the EPA.”
In an effort to conserve energy as well as save money during rough economic times, RUSD contracted with Energy Education, Inc., a national consulting firm that helps clients aggressively save money through energy efficiency.
In 2009, RUSD hired Fotia, who was previously a teacher and has a Master’s Degree in educational administration, to be trained as the district’s energy education specialist. Energy Education Inc. was responsible for Fotia’s training.
Instead of requiring capital investment for new equipment or retrofitting current equipment, the program is geared primarily toward changing organizational behavior.
Fotia’s main job is to lead staff and faculty in examining every energy use point in the district, ensuring that energy is used as necessary and making sure it is never being wasted.
He also gives presentations about the benefits of energy efficiency at student assemblies and in classrooms.
“You can see that it’s on their minds in elementary school, middle school, and in the high schools,” Fotia said. “They care about energy efficiency and sustainability.”
Oscar Stephenson, an eighth-grader
at Moore Middle School, writes articles in the school newspaper regarding various issues of the day, including an article about the importance of energy conservation.
“It’s important so we can preserve our planet,” he said.
As part of his job, Fotia collaborates with RUSD maintenance and operations director Joe Aceto to oversee RUSD heating, cooling and ventilation (HCVS) systems, making sure that all the systems are running as programmed.
“Joe Aceto is vital in the operation of the main equipment,” Fotia said.
Moore Middle School Principal Julie Swan, whose school has one of the district’s oldest and most outdated HCVS systems, is proud that the school, along with the others in the district, has managed to contribute to the district’s large savings.
“Despite an outdated system, we have all worked hard to save energy,” she said. “We teach our kids to do whatever is necessary to cut our carbon footprint.”
In addition to coordinating ways to reduce utility costs district wide, Fotia is tasked with pursuing the numerous refund, rebates and credit opportunities through the utility companies.
However, according to Fotia, the majority of energy savings is due to the awareness of teachers, administrators and students of the importance of participating in simple energy saving practices, such as turning off the lights in a classroom when it is not being used. Another big energy savings, Fotia said, is when the students turn off computers not in use.
“When everyone is aware of the cost savings, it is motivation to improve and stay diligent,” he said. “There is no way I could do this by myself. I feel like part of my job is to be the cheerleader.”
Fotia also oversees the scheduling of energy shutdowns during the the time the schools and other districts sites are closed. These “down times” include three weeks during winter break, one week for Thanksgiving, two weeks for spring break and eight weeks throughout the summer.
“When we’re not using the facilities, we turn off everything, big and small, including the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, lights, and even unplugging refrigerators and appliances,” Fotia said.
Among Fotia’s other duties is inspecting the mechanical equipment at each site regularly, auditing sites day and night to make sure everything is working according to schedule, and making sure anything that needs to be repaired – even as small as a water sprinkler head – is fixed immediately.
Another important task is to verify that utility bills are correct. For example, in one instance, Fotia noticed that the water district mistakenly charged sewer fees to an irrigation account, and the result was that the district was credited thousands of dollars.
Meanwhile, one of the selling points for hiring Energy Education, Inc. is that the firm guarantees that the savings will cover the cost of the energy program as well as the cost for the energy education specialist position. Otherwise, the firm will refund the difference.
“We have exceeded our savings projections in both Year 1 and 2,” Fotia said. “At a certain point, the role of Energy Education Inc. gradually diminishes, and we will be on our own.”
Energy Education Inc., a firm in Dallas, is also contracted with the San Bernardino Unified School District and the Riverside County School District, which have collectively saved more than $33 million by changing the cultures in the districts regarding how and when energy is used.