Lights Out at California's Mira Costa High School

During the daytime and into the early evening, high schools are lively with students rushing to and from classes, meetings and sports practices, but what about the sleepy hours leading up to dawn? Not so much. After teaming up with Energy Education Inc., California’s Mira Costa High School has begun an interior dark campus policy that minimizes the number of parking and perimeter lights that are left on between midnight and 5 a.m.

The policy may also help decrease unlawful trespassing and vandalism, as anyone who sees suspicious activity during those hours is asked to report it to the police immediately. The local police department has also been informed of the change in policy. As one of the largest schools in the district, Mira Costa High School’s utility costs reach $185,000 yearly. Since working with Energy Education Inc., the district has cut down on its energy costs by $10,000 per month. 

Celebrate Earth Day with Good News from Virginia

Happy Earth Day! For students of Loudoun County Public Schools in Ashburn, Va., it’s an especially happy Earth Day, in light of news that the school district was named an Energy Star Partner of the Year by the Environmental Protection Agency for the second year in a row. With help from Energy Education Inc., the schools saved more than $323,000 in 2010 alone.

“They’re now spending money on textbooks and teachers, instead of energy bills. Teachers and textbooks are certainly where education dollars belong,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Bon Perciasepe to the Washington Examiner.

Energy Education Inc. has been working with Loudoun since June of 1993, accumulating a savings of $29,861,725 through January 2011. For nearly two decades, the program has helped spread energy awareness and make Loudoun one of Energy Ed’s greatest success stories. Loudoun County Public Schools are home to 63,220 students and 76 schools.

Energy Education Helps Troup County Schools Cut Back

Since Georgia’s Troup County schools began working with Energy Education Inc., the school system has saved more than $331,000 and reduced its energy consumption by 14,226 BTUs. What does that mean? Equate it with 1,881 tons of carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere or 48,122 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. Over nine months, the school system reduced its energy use by 16 percent.

The energy savings are just in time for tomorrow’s Earth Day, but Energy Education Inc. is eager to remind people to continue energy-saving efforts year-round.

“It’s important for all of us to save energy,” said Sandy Melton, an Energy Education specialist, in an interview with WLTX 38 NBC. “While most of the time we discuss it in terms of saving money, for Earth Day we encourage you to be concerned with our natural resources. Being good stewards of both our money and our environment gives us a great sense of satisfaction.”

With rising prices of electricity, natural gas, heating oil and water, utility costs are an issue of focus for the Troup County School System. The energy program is projected to help the school system save $7.6 million during the first 10 years. This will save taxpayer dollars as well as teachers’ jobs, and allow the schools to hang onto important programs.