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Energy Conservation and American Schools

The research area I have chosen to study is energy use in the United States, more specifically the energy used in American schools where I plan on evaluating schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District located on California Central Coast. The object of this study will be to identify areas of high energy use in schools that could be mitigated or countered by more energy efficient practices or renewable energy sources like solar PV. Methods to offset energy use have already begun on a small scale in Lucia Mar at the Oceano Elementary School. A teacher named Jim DeCecco has taken it upon himself to start recycling and composting programs and has set up a 1KW solar array to educate students about the benefits of solar PV. I plan on interviewing DeCecco to find out what sort of programs he has in mind for the future and if these methods could be adopted on a wider scale to encompass possibly all of Lucia Mar. At Nipomo High School, where I graduated from in 2007, they are currently the least energy efficient school in the entire district because it relies almost entirely on portable classrooms with their own AC units. I also plan on meeting with Mr. Olejczeck of Nipomo High who was recently awarded a $10,000 PG&E Energy Grant to build a mobile green classroom, similar to the solar house at Cal Poly. In addition, with the help of Lucia Mar's Sustainability Coordinator Erin Inglish, I plan on examining the current district-wide energy budget and what she plans for the future of Lucia Mar. I would also like to know what she thinks can be done now to offset energy intensive uses around the school, primarily stadium lighting and classroom heating/cooling. With this information, hopefully a more environmentally friendly and forward thinking approach to energy use will be adopted on a larger scale in our school districts. This article covered the implementation of wind turbines throughout school districts in states situated along the wind belt. It will be helpful information for my project because it covers costs and payback period for wind power, showing how feasible it can be for certain areas that fit the right conditions. This report issued by the California Public Utilities Commission gives an overview of the smart grid and what it can do in terms of savings for the state. It also gives a …