Bethel Pride9 Ways we’re saving the green: District builds culture of conservationFebruary 2008

Bethel PrideDistrict wins award for energy savingsDecember 2006

Bethel PrideGreat job, Bethel!May 2010

Bethel PrideAsk Mr. EnergyAugust 2007

Bethel PrideSchools plant the seeds of learningFebruary/March 2013

Bethel PrideAsk Mr. EnergyOctober 2007

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Bethel PrideSchools plant the seeds of learningFebruary/March 2013

District saves money by conserving energyBethel School District’s resource

conservation program has now saved taxpayers $5 million dollars in energy savings. Faculty, staff and students have played a big role in the success of the program. Bethel’s energy conservation manager Michael Knaack works alongside Cenergistic, a leading energy conservation company that has saved more than $3.2 billion for educational and other organizations.

This year, Bethel was one of 17 school districts in the nation to earn an Energy Star rating. It’s a yearly certification that focuses on electricity and natural gas usage. To receive the Energy Star, schools must earn a score between 75-100. Bethel earned an 83. Knaack equates it to getting a B in class, and said there’s always room to improve.

Knaack has worked for Bethel for eight years. He pours over the facts and figures looking for the best ways to save. But he says it’s when he’s visiting the schools that his real work gets done. “If I’m in the office, we’re not saving money.”

K n a a c k s a i d e n e r g y conser vation starts in the classroom. “Seventy-five

percent of the time people aren’t in the classrooms,” he said. So the off hours are a perfect time to save energy. “Buildings don’t need to be heated on Sunday morning.”

Knaack shares energy savings tips with the staff, and he wants taxpayers to know that Bethel is on the front lines of energy conservation, making sure that their tax dollars are spent where they are needed most, in the classroom.

But Knaack doesn’t stop there. He’s always on the lookout for savings. When prices went up for recycling, Knaack took a hard look at how Bethel uses its trash and recycling services. Through a number of changes, he not only saved enough to cover the rate increase, but two thousand dollars on top of that.

There’s still work to be done. Out of the 27 schools in the district, 25 are energy star qualified. The older schools require more effort than the newer ones.

“If we build buildings, they come out of the box energy efficient,” said Knaack. “We’re building green buildings and keeping them green.”

Top 5 energy saving ideasOctober is National Energy

Awareness Month. Did you know that according to the Environmental Protection Agen-cy, 30% of energy consumed in commercial and industrial buildings is wasted? Michael Knaack, Bethel’s resident energy expert shared his top 5 ways to save energy at home this month.

#1. Dress appropriately for the weather: In Washington, we have to dress in layers. If you are cold in December, put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat.

#2. Unplug the plug: Even when your cell phone charger is not actively charging a device, if it is plugged in, it is still using electricity. If you aren’t really using that second refrigerator, unplug it and save $5 to $10 a month. According to Consumer Reports, you can save $120 a year by unplugging devices when not using them.

#3. Plug that leak: Insulation around doors and windows is a relatively easy and inexpensive

fix to keep heat in and cold out. Remember, if you are too hot turn the heat down rather than opening a window or door. If you do open that window, you are literally sending money out of it.

#4. Turn your lights off: Ac-cording to a study done by Washington State University (and later verified by Myth-busters), you should turn the lights off every time you leave the room. Even with auto-lights that shut off after 15 minutes you could still save a potential five hours of lighting a week. Additionally, consider upgrad-ing your old incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs to save 30% to 60% in lighting costs. Look for sales during this month and around Earth Day in April.

#5. Turn down the thermostat: For each degree turned down, you save 1% to 3%. Setting the temperature at 68 versus 71 could possibly save you almost 10%.

Bethel PrideEnergy program honoredJuly/August 2013