Conserve Energy and Teach Energy Efficiency at School

A photo of a group of students listening to Hawai‘i state Energy Office Administrator Ted Peck give a presentation on the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative. The students are all wearing blue shirts. Peck is wearing tan slacks and a navy jacket with a purple and white lei. To his right are a computer and a projector on a small table. Behind him to his right is a screen showing a slide of the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative logo and a photo of a child swimming up toward the sunlight at the surface of the ocean. In the background are desks and shelves stacked with library books.

Hawai‘i's schools can serve as living laboratories that teach future generations about wise energy use. Hawai‘i State Energy Office Administrator Ted Peck gave a Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative presentation on Nov. 19, 2009, to more than 100 8th grade students at Kamehameha Middle School. This is the second year that the students will be focusing their school project on renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency programs. A faculty advisor and teacher said Mr. Peck provided valuable information that gave the students "a much better idea of why it is important for them to know about the renewable energy resources they are researching."

Schools in Hawai‘i can do their part to conserve energy and teach future generations about wise energy use. Because the next generation is the key to Hawai‘i's future, one of the most valuable lessons children can learn at school is the importance of conserving energy. For that reason, it is critical that our schools lead by example and take a proactive stance on implementing energy-efficiency measures. High-visibility conservation and sustainability programs in our schools can serve as living laboratories that allow students to experience firsthand the viability and value of such programs.

Beyond the educational value of creating energy-efficient schools, there is also a benefit to the bottom line. The annual energy bill to run America's primary and secondary schools is a staggering $6 billion—more than is spent on textbooks and computers combined. What you may not know is that:

  • The least-efficient schools use three times more energy than the best energy performers
  • Top-performing ENERGY STAR labeled schools cost 40 cents per square foot less to operate than the average performers.

Colleges and universities, which also spend billions each year on energy, can lower their energy bills by 30% or more by adopting a strategic approach to energy management.

Hawai‘i's schools, colleges, and universities can help lead the way to a clean energy future for future generations by

  • Improving their energy performance
  • Integrating energy conservation into their curriculum.

Online Course Helps Build 30% Energy Savings into School Design

DOE, through its EnergySmart Schools program, offers a no-cost, two-hour, Web-based training course that helps building professionals implement the recommendations in the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings. Members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) who complete the course and pass the quiz can earn 2.0 AIA/Continuing Education System (CES) learning units with credits for Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) as well as Sustainable Design (SD).

Paul Torcellini and Shanti Pless, from DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), provide an overview of the guide, including recommendations to achieve 30% energy savings over the baseline standard in building projects. The 90-minute presentation is followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session. Directions on how to receive AIA/CES learning units are displayed at the end of the Webinar.

It's fast and free! Access more information and the course.

The following Hawai‘i schools are leading the way to energy independence in education:

Successful energy-efficiency efforts are contagious. Be an inspiration to others by joining the growing number of organizations that are being honored and recognized by EPA for their outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.

Be an EnergySmart School

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) EnergySmart Schools program offers assistance to schools that are interested in improving their energy performance. EnergySmart schools mean healthier children and teachers—and a healthier planet. They also save school districts money. EnergySmart Schools make sense for Hawai‘i because

  • Schools spend more on energy than any other expense except personnel
  • A high-performance school doesn't have to cost more to construct than a conventionally built school
  • High-performance schools can lower a school district's costs by up to 30%
  • Energy is one of the few expenses a school can cut without sacrificing educational quality
  • Schools are central to the communities they serve and should reflect community values—like energy and resource conservation
  • Schools are a great place to teach Hawai‘i's children about energy and resource conservation.

Here are the four steps to becoming an EnergySmart School:

  1. Plan: Building an energy-efficient school depends on "whole building" systems design, which requires more planning than for most conventional schools.
  2. Finance: Securing financing is an important step in any building or renovation project. For projects incorporating energy-efficient features, special financing options may be available.
  3. Design and build: The greatest opportunities for incorporating energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact come in the design and construction phases.
  4. Operate and maintain: Addressing operations and maintenance considerations at the start of an energy-efficiency project can help keep the benefits coming for decades.

The EnergySmart Schools program also helps schools integrate energy conservation into their curriculum with more than 350 lesson plans and activities on energy efficiency and renewable energy for grades K-12. Each lesson includes a short summary that identifies curriculum integration, time, and materials. The lessons are aligned to National Science Education Standards.

Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Get Smart About Energy

Energy Explained, a new Web portal launched today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the most comprehensive energy education resource available from the U.S. government.

In addition, DOE offers educational and training resources on energy through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Web site.

Island EnergySmart Schools

What better way to learn than through real-world experience? Managed by Hawaiian Electric Company, Rebuild Hawai‘i EnergySmart Schools is a local program designed to teach high-school students about energy conservation through work projects. After completing an energy education module that incorporates math, science, computer science, marketing, advertising, and public speaking, students apply what they've learned by performing energy audits in school buildings and small businesses in their communities. Examples include:

O‘ahu: High school students on O‘ahu received hands-on training in performing lighting audits in their schools and in local small businesses. Using a utility-based software program, the students gathered and analyzed data to generate reports, which were presented to the schools and business owners. Read a full report of the project (PDF 213 KB).

Maui: This project targeted 32 schools in the Maui Public School District. Auditors identified existing fluorescent lamps and fixtures in each school, including existing fixture quantities and types, operating hours, the baseline energy consumption of the existing T12 lighting system, the energy savings of the proposed T8 lighting system, the cost to install the retrofitted lighting systems, and payback periods. This project also looked into financing alternatives and implementation strategies. Read a full report of the audit (PDF 19.7 MB).

Hawai‘i: On the Big Island, the county of Hawai‘i partnered with West Hawai‘i Explorations Academy to implement a student energy audit program.

  • View a slide presentation featuring project highlights (PDF 3.4 MB).
  • Read a full report of the project (PDF 373 KB).

Earn a Star for Energy Efficiency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) ENERGY STAR program offers proven energy management strategies designed to help primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities establish themselves as environmental leaders. In the process, schools can save money for repairs and renovation, hiring of new faculty, new construction, and other activities that support their core educational goals.

By partnering with ENERGY STAR, schools make a meaningful commitment to their students as well as to the environment. Schools can lead the way to a clean energy future for Hawai‘i by

Local Energy-Efficiency Resources

For local insights and best practices related to energy-efficiency efforts, the state of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism offers a wealth of online resources, including case studies, diagrams, guidelines, calculation tools, and commissioning information for incorporating energy-efficient building design, cooling, and lighting techniques into original designs or retrofits.

What Others Are Doing

To learn what schools around the country are doing to improve their energy efficiency, see

Shining a Light on the Commitment to Energy Efficiency in Education

Case studies and feature articles showcasing ENERGY STAR's 2008 Partners of the Year can provide inspiration as well as offer insights into energy-efficiency challenges, solutions, and benefits:

The Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute

At the forefront of research and development of Hawai‘i's renewable energy resources is the Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute (HNEI).

Established in 1974 as a research branch of the University of Hawai‘i, HNEI has made significant inroads in research and development of the islands' renewable resources, including

  • Coordinating the first comprehensive wind surveys of the Hawaiian archipelago that provided data on wind turbine placement
  • Conducting surveys of solar insulation and testing a variety of electricity-generating solar devices and systems
  • Conducting major studies on ocean thermal energy conversion
  • Developing the technology to use biomass for energy
  • Testing biomass-derived fuels as a replacement for conventional transportation fuels
  • Establishing the most comprehensive hydrogen program of any university in the nation through pioneering research on production of this gas through
  • Solar electrochemical advancements using thin semiconductor films
    • Gasification of biomass
    • Genetic engineering of hydrogen-producing marine organisms.

Looking for local examples?

Successful energy-efficiency efforts are contagious. Be an inspiration to others by joining the growing number of organizations that are being honored and recognized by EPA for their outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.