Administrators and school officials have come up with potential ways to conserve energy in district buildings
by David Kilby, Special Writer
ALLENTOWN — Administrators and school officials have come up with potential ways to conserve energy in district buildings.
”We’re trying to use every strategy and means that we could to reduce costs,” said Superintendent Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick at the July 17 Upper Freehold Regional School District meeting.
Dr. Fitzpatrick said an audit by Concord Engineering revealed the district could save about $17,000 a year in energy costs if a conservation program were implemented.
Hersey Mayeux, director of buildings and grounds, gave some specifics.
”There are so many avenues where we can save on energy use,” Mr. Mayeux said. “I really feel that this is a strong way to save us money without costing us a lot of money.”
The auditorium lighting in the high school, for example, runs on more than three dozen 300-watt incandescent fixtures, he said.
”Every time we turn them on, that meter is just spinning away,” Mr. Mayeux said, suggesting a change to LED lighting would bring down the kilowatts.
He also said every time there is a show in the auditorium, 15 to 20 bulbs have to be changed.
”If we put new LED lights in, we won’t have to touch the ceiling (lights) for five or six years,” he added. “We can see the areas we really need to tune up on.”
He also suggested changing the lighting in the Newell Elementary School gym this year, which has 400-watt bulbs now.
He said the district is looking to change back to T5 florescent lights, adding it put T5 lights in the high school gym about two years ago and is just starting to change them.
Dr. Fitzpatrick said it’s important to educate students, employees and custodians on how they can help implement an energy conservation program such as turning off lights when they leave a classroom or turning off computer monitors over the weekend.
Mr. Mayeux said if the district constantly trains people to do these things, it will become “part of their work style.”
He added some of the lights are hardwired into the buildings, and he will have to ask the Fire Department if they must be on due to building regulations.
Another way to conserve energy is to fine-tune the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, Mr. Mayeux said.
”Most of our buildings are on an energy management service,” he said. “So it’s just finding that right number that works for everybody where they’re not yelling it’s too hot or it’s too cold in my room.”
He also said it could help if the district simply turned the systems on later and turned them off sooner.
”The biggest part of the (conservation) program is you have to be committed to it,” he added. “You have to really want to save the energy.”
The board and administration also discussed incentives or ways to give back to employees when they are diligent in conserving energy.
Business Administrator Diana Schiraldi said that by walking around the school buildings and grounds, she and Mr. Mayeux came up with several other energy saving initiatives, such as putting timers on the lights on the athletic fields that are sometimes on all night.
Ms. Schiraldi said the district is looking to retrain people to think and do things differently when it comes to energy conservation.
She also mentioned there are companies the district can hire to set up a conservation program, but first it would like to see what it can do on its own.
Board member Peter Katz asked if the district plans to do several things all at once to conserve energy and how it would know what’s effective and what isn’t.
In response, Mr. Mayeux said it would make changes building by building.
”The biggest beneficiaries of all are the taxpayers,” Mr. Mayeux added. “That’s part of our job.”

