Four Don Ross Secondary School students are showing the school district how to be power smart and save money. Danielle Dornik, Taija Jagodnik, Harrison Gould and Jordan Drinovz teamed up with district facilities staff to find ways to reduce unnecessary energy consumption in the district's six elementary schools. What they found could save the school district a substantial amount of money.
"The general big picture we figure if there's approximately $525,000 of capital expenditures improving lighting, heat recovery, education for occupants to be energy wise, we feel that just in those six schools we can save $58,000 a year," said school district facilities director Rick Hume.
The students took on the project through a BC Hydro work experience program and presented their findings to the school board last month. School District Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Edwards said the board has yet to review the proposed changes, but Hume anticipates comments from the board at Wednesday board meeting (April 13).
Capital costs are hefty, said Hume, but the school district has already begun implementing energy saving strategies throughout the district's larger schools.
"We just finished Don Ross Secondary School last week where we went in and fitted all the light fixtures and we're moving onto Howe Sound Secondary," said Hume. "We're doing the bigger schools right now because we get a quicker return on our money."
Power Smart Students is a two-year technical work experience program for students Grade 10 to 12 and was developed in partnership with school districts. In year one, students identify ways to save energy, and in year two students assist in the delivery of energy conservation campaigns at schools in their districts.
