POWAY: District turns off air conditioning to cut energy costs

New program is getting mixed reviews

By SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 23, 2008 6:11 PM PDT ∞

POWAY ---- School officials said this week they're looking at ways to cool down their electricity bill.

Poway Unified School District employees have resorted to keeping their doors closed to trap cold air inside, for example, and they're even working in the afternoon with the air conditioners turned off, said Steve Rogers, the district's energy conservation director.

In the last two weeks, Rogers said, the district has significantly ramped up energy conservation efforts by programming all of the air conditioning units in classrooms and school buildings to run at cooler temperatures in the morning before turning off at 1 p.m.

It's the first time the district has shut off air conditioning to conserve electricity, he said, adding that the goal is to let buildings "coast" through the afternoon on cool air that builds up in the morning. Most of the summer school staff and students are also off campus by 1 p.m. because traditional classes end around noon, he said.

"It's an experiment to see if it works, when it affects the fewest number of people," Rogers said, adding that any savings would be helpful.

The district spends an average of $40,000 to $60,000 every year in energy costs at each of its 25 elementary schools, officials said. Figures were not readily available Wednesday for the average energy costs at Poway Unified's 11 middle and high school campuses.

"The money we spend on energy and utilities is money that we can't spend on education," he said.

It's still too early to tell if the district is saving money, Rogers said. He said the decision has not been made about whether the district will extend the program into the school year starting in August ---- when there would still be hundreds of students and employees on campus after cooling units have shut down.

District employees and students have had varying opinions about whether the ice-cold mornings and warm afternoons inside classrooms and offices are worth the savings.

Some staff members, especially those working on older campuses where there is less insulation in buildings, have said it's too hot in the afternoon. Others have said it's uncomfortable at times, but not unbearable.

Last week at Mt. Carmel High School, several summer school students said they have noticed that the rooms are cooler in the morning, but that it's not affecting their work.

"It's colder, but it doesn't bother me," said 14-year-old freshman Anh Tran. "I sit right under the vent, so I feel the air coming in."

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.