School District Saves Jobs by Saving on Energy

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- While facing drastic budget cuts, one school district on the First Coast found a way to save millions of dollars this past year.

It used money-saving techniques as simple as turning the lights off in empty classrooms.

After a year full of energy saving practices, the St. Johns County School District has saved $3.5 million in 12 months. That's a 40 percent savings, according to Al Crutchfield, the district's energy manager.

He said during the summer alone, the county saved $100,000 a week by consolidating students on high school campuses and using a four-day work week.

The massive effort to cut energy costs saved at least 50 teaching jobs according to the district office.

First-grade teacher Kristen Bailey at Osceola Elementary School said the new phrase around her school is "If it glows, it goes."

Like the teachers and staff in the district, she has learned to turn off lights when they aren't needed, shut off computers at the end of the day and monitor thermostats.

"We've just had to teach ourselves the things we need to do and we're also teaching the children good habits," Bailey explained.

She said implementing the energy saving techniques wasn't difficult, it just took some time to develop the habits

Crutchfield credits the savings to behavioral changes. He said there were no equipment upgrades.

While the teachers and staff were vigilant about energy savings during the day, he and maintenance personnel cut back on  heating and air systems, he said. 

"In the past, the HVAC [in schools] could run for five, six, or seven hours after the students leave for the day. So we've scaled that back to hopefully one to two hours after the students leave," Crutchfield explained.

He said the district saved more than double what it was expecting to save this past year in energy costs. Why such large savings? Crutchfield says it was a team effort.

"I've had just a handful of people that didn't get on board with this," Crutchfield said. "But in the times we're in right now, you would be the bad guy if you didn't get on board! Just put it that way!"

The district hired a consultant called Energy Education Inc. to help suggest energy saving practices. The company works with a other school districts in Florida. Crutchfield said Energy Education is so impressed with St. Johns County's savings in its initial year, the company is giving the district an award.

When Bailey heard that her class' and the district's energy saving efforts paid off in big ways, she was ecstatic.

"I'm amazed," Bailey said. "I'm thrilled and I'm really happy because that lets me know that jobs can be saved and we're making a difference, not just in energy savings but within our community."

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