Fourteen public schools are launching a pilot project this semester to see how much electricity they can save in the next six months, and the best techniques will then be mandated throughout the system starting next year, according to a top Department of Education official.

As an incentive, half the savings at each school will be turned over to the school for its use.

The effort is part of a massive energy savings and conservation initiative launched by the governor statewide last year and then mandated in the schools by the Legislature. The DOE hopes to see energy use cut by as much as 35 percent over the next five years.

And education officials expect students to play an integral part in the efforts.

"This is going to be most successful if students play an active role," said Randy Moore, acting assistant superintendent for the Office of Business Services.

"It's a great learning tool. For instance, students could read the electric meter every day and keep a running record of how much gets used every day. If there's an awareness of the electricity used, it's more likely we can reduce it."

Surging school electricity costs have become a sticking point between Gov. Linda Lingle and the DOE over the budget, with the department asking for $4.9 million in additional money for operating costs for the next biennium and the governor allotting $2 million in her executive budget request.

Last fiscal year, 2005-06, the DOE spent $31.2 million on electricity to keep the lights on and the computers fired up in the state's 258 regular public schools. That's up from $23.87 million a year earlier, and $22.2 million the year before that, in fiscal 2003-04.

Next year the DOE expects the bill to reach $37 million.

"How are you going to cut?" asked Rep. James Toyoka, as a DOE delegation led by schools superintendent Pat Hamamoto appeared at the state Capitol over two days recently to brief both House and Senate money committees on what the department hopes to receive for the coming biennium.

CLOSING THE GAP

"We're looking for you to close that gap," replied new Board of Education member John Penebacker.

Hamamoto told lawmakers the department has three top priorities, including seeing funding to cover the shortfalls in electricity, food services, student transportation, maintenance service contracts and workers' compensation. The other two include continued funding for repairs and maintenance and compliance issues, as well as continued renovation of the system infrastructure, including retrofitting electrical systems at schools where the power infrastructure isn't sufficient to handle needs such as air conditioning and computers.

For its part, the department is looking for ways throughout the system to modify power use, make sure community groups pay a fair rental for school space they use, retrofit schools with energy-efficient lighting, and design new schools to a higher energy-efficient standard called LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

One suggestion is to evaluate whether football games really need to be played at night with those costly towers of lights.

"It costs a lot of money to play football at night," said Moore. "It costs a lot less to play it in the daytime. Right now there's zero incentive for schools to play in the afternoon, but if they get to spend some of that money on something else, it gives schools incentive and more choices."

OLDER APPLIANCES

Other suggestions include looking at the cost of the refrigerators in many classrooms because most are older and less energy efficient, as well as turning off all computers at the end of each day.

"In the 14 schools we've identified we're going to do energy audits, a walk-through of each school to point out things that might help cut costs. At the same time we know there are things we should do systemwide like putting in motion sensors, updating the air conditioning in the libraries to something more energy efficient and retrofitting lights," said Gilbert Chun, acting director of the DOE's Auxiliary Services Branch.

A six-month test of motion sensors — which essentially turn on lights when there is motion in the room and snap them off when there's none — at Lincoln Elementary in Makiki brought the school's energy use down, said Chun, and as a result the department hopes to put motion sensors in classrooms in all schools.

BIG CONVENIENCE

Lincoln principal Irving Emoto said his teachers liked the sensors because it saved them from always having to remember to turn off the lights, and helped when they were loaded down with books.

"As soon as they open the door and walk in, the lights turn on and you don't have to fiddle with the switch, especially if your arms are full," said Emoto.

Chun said Hawaiian Electric has been working with the DOE on all these power-saving methods, and so has a private consultant who is giving advice on low-cost financing.

"A lot of these things can be done through municipal leasing," said Chun. "Instead of using capital improvement funds, you get a loan from the bank and then you pay back the loan through the energy savings. We can retrofit the lights at a school and then repay that loan so the cost to the taxpayer is virtually zero. ... We've just had a meeting with a consultant and those are some of the things we've asked for help with."

Moore said the innovative ice-plant installed at Punahou School to air-condition the new Case Middle School as well as another complex, is another option for DOE study.

"That's certainly something we could consider when designing schools," he said. "The concept is you buy electricity at night when it's cheap and freeze water and in the daytime you turn on a blower over the ice to create cold air and run it through pipes to cool the building."

As the new semester gets under way for public school students, Pauoa principal Roberta Richards, whose school is part of the energy-saving pilot program, says she will definitely involve her students.

STUDENTS WILL HELP

"I'm always one who loves to turn off the lights when I leave a room because I know how much money DOE pays for electricity," said Richards. "As I get to know the nitty-gritty (of the project) we'll incorporate the students because it has to start there. Once they know what's going on, they're wonderful. And I think they'll become more aware."

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.