The Latest from VEA

• Use your thermostat wisely. Most of our savings at school comes through smart use of our heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, or HVAC, and most of the schools in our counties are controlled through a building automation system. At home, set your thermostat higher in cooling season, or lower in heating season when you’re not at home. If you can, purchase a programmable thermostat, so when you come home after a long day, your space is set to a comfortable temperature. Click here.
• Turn out the lights! If you’re at work, when you leave your classroom or office, turn off the lights, even if you think you’ll be gone for a few minutes (because we know how easy it is to get sidetracked and be gone longer than intended). You don’t have to rely on those motion sensors, either; just turn off the switch. The same is true at home. Leaving a room? Turn off the lights; the savings will add up! Also, if you have any of those old incandescent light bulbs, swap them out for an LED light bulb. The price on those bulbs has come down, and the savings are significant. Click here.
• Turn off electronic devices not in use. One of the things we look for when we do our school audits is to see if something like a computer or interactive board is left on. If you’re at home and not using a device, like your computer or TV, turn it off. Remove screen savers, activate sleep mode, unplug appliances or plug them into a smart power-strip and power it off when not in use.
• Listen to Jennifer’s father. When Jennifer was a young girl, her dad would always yell, “Why are you heating the outside?!” if she left the door open. The same applies to you in your home. If you’re running your HVAC, why have the window open? If it’s a nice day and you want to open the windows, make sure the HVAC is off so you’re not heating or cooling the outside air. Also, how old are your windows and doors? If you have some money saved, consider purchasing new and energy-efficient windows or doors. There are some rebates and federal tax refund incentives available for purchasing these items. Click here.
• Insulate! If you have an attic, how much insulation do you have? Most homes are under-insulated, which means conditioned air may be leaking out of your house. A simple thing you can do is use a tape measure to see how deep the insulation is. Check energystar.gov for more information on appropriate depths for your house and how you can improve your insulation. Click here.
• If it’s ENERGY STAR rated, it will use less energy than a comparable model. Look for the label when buying energy-using appliances and equipment. Click here.

Rokasky, a Prince William Education Association member, is an energy education coordinator. Barancewicz, CEM, is a Loudoun Education Association member and an energy manager.