Ridgefield Public Schools

SAVING ENERGY 

A successful energy conservation program requires a team approach.  Therefore, educating the staff is a key component of this program.  The School Facilities Manager will work with the maintenance and custodial staff, and the building administrators will work with all other staff to embed energy conservation practices into everyday behaviors. 

Energy conservation practices and behaviors for maintenance and custodial staff

• HVAC technicians will calibrate all thermostats.

• When buildings are occupied, the head custodian will set the thermostats between 67 and 69 degrees for the heating season and 74 to 78 degrees during the cooling season for schools that have air-conditioning.

• If staff members complain about the thermal comfort in their room, the head custodian will visit the room and check the area with a digital thermometer to make sure that the temperature is within the ranges outlined above.  All problems will be resolved as soon as possible.

• During the wing months, the heating period from October 15 until December 1 and from March 15 until May 15, head custodians will turn off the heating and cooling systems unless the outside temperature drops below 20 or above 80 degrees. 

• At night when the buildings are being cleaned, custodians will set back the thermostats during the wing periods of the heating season to 45 degrees, during the primary heating season to 55 degrees and during the cooling season to 80 degrees.  Since the buildings are not insulated very well, they do not retain the heat or the air conditioning for a long period of time. Therefore, when the temperature drops below 20 degrees the custodians will not set back the thermostats because we will not be able to reheat the buildings efficiently.  Likewise, during the cooling season the custodians will continuously run the systems in schools that have air-conditioning when the outside temperature is over 80 degrees and/or the humidity is high.

• Since we have old systems, thermal comfort may vary throughout the buildings.  Therefore, the day custodial staff will walk their buildings to identify areas that are too hot or too cold.  For example, if the outside temperature is 20 degrees and a teacher has his or her window open, we may be overheating the space.  Such observations will be documented and investigated by the appropriate personnel or outside contractor.

• The School Facilities Manager will ensure that there is an appropriate preventative maintenance program for all heating and cooling equipment.  We will use School Dude’s Preventative Maintenance Software Module to record the activity for this program. 

• Head custodians in buildings that have automated energy management systems will continually monitor, and modify as needed, the computer settings to ensure that we are achieving the guidelines outlined above.

• Nighttime events usually take place in a specific area of the building (gyms, auditoriums).  Head custodians in buildings that have automated energy management systems will set back the temperature as outlined above in all unoccupied areas.  In buildings that do not have automated energy management systems, the head custodians will manually set back the systems to the extent possible.

• Head custodians will check all outside boiler temperature set points and raise and or lower them as needed to prevent the boilers from turning on too soon.

• Custodians and maintenance mechanics will check all boiler water temperatures, set them as low as the manufacturer allows and tweak them if specific areas of the building do not get warm.

• Custodians and maintenance mechanics will check all hot water circulation pumps and valves for proper flow settings and clean all strainers.

• Custodians and all other staff will turn off lights in storage areas when not in use. 

• Maintenance mechanics will install motion sensors where there are none (many areas currently have motion sensors).

• After a room or area has been cleaned, custodians will turn off all lights, TV’s and computer monitors.

• Custodians will not be turning on all of the lights in the school when they open the building in the morning.  Teachers will turn on their classroom lights when they come in.

• Custodians will turn off hallway lights when the buildings are unoccupied, provided it does not present a safety issue.

• Custodians will turn off lighting in non-instructional areas when natural light adequately illuminates a space.

• Custodians and maintenance mechanics will replace all incandescent light bulbs, as they burn out, with compact fluorescents.

• Head custodians will check all timers to make sure that they are set correctly for outside lights and water heaters.

• Custodians and maintenance mechanics will check all exterior door sweeps and seals to make sure that they are in good condition.

• Custodians and maintenance mechanics will check all exterior window caulking and seals to make sure they are in good condition.

• Custodians and maintenance mechanics will check all window AC units to ensure that they are installed correctly with the proper insulation panels (not plywood), caulking and sealing. Before winter, they will cover the outside part of the unit to prevent drafts from coming into the rooms.

• Custodians will set regular water heaters at 110-120 degrees except for kitchen heaters; they need to be set at 140 degrees.

• HVAC  technicians will check all hot water circulation loops for proper temperature settings and pump timers.

• Head custodians will check all exhaust fans to verify that they are coming on when school starts and going off when school is out.

• Head custodians and maintenance mechanics will check all makeup air dampers to ensure proper operation and correct air exchanges.

• During summer breaks and school vacations, custodians will unplug all small refrigerators after they are cleaned out by their owners.

• The School Facilities Manager will install timers on all vending machines so that they shut off after school and on weekends.

• The School Facilities Manager will purchase energy efficient cog belts for all V-belt replacements. 

• The School Facilities Manager will replace electric motors with high-energy efficient models.

• The School Facilities Manager will purchase replacement air filters with a power-guard merv 11 type to improve air quality and unit efficiency.

• Maintenance mechanics and HVAC technicians will clean and service all unit wall heater coils and make sure that the fans and valves are working correctly.

• Maintenance mechanics will take apart bookcases that are in front of the wall unit ventilators and unblock the airflow, which is necessary to efficiently operate the units. 

• In areas that have single pane windows, the maintenance mechanics will install  1/8” plexi-glass inside the unit using stick-on magnetic strips to hold them in place. 

• The School Facilities Manager will investigate and pursue energy conservation retrofitting programs sponsored through state grants.

 Energy conservation practices and behaviors for teaching staff

• Teachers will keep everything off the top of the unit ventilators. When items are stored on top of unit ventilators it prevents the air from flowing through the unit. Consequently, there is less heat and makeup air getting into the classroom.

• Teachers will keep windows and doors closed when the heat or cooling systems are operating.

• Teachers will turn off TV’s, computers and monitors before leaving their classrooms. 

• Teachers will turn off the lights whenever they leave a room, even if they are leaving for a short while.

• Teachers will turn off lighting in instructional areas when natural light adequately illuminates a space.

• Teachers will use the SchoolDude work order system to report any problems with the heating or cooling systems in their classrooms.

• Teachers will use SchoolDude to report any problems with their doors, blinds and windows.