Green Schools Save Districts Money

Five schools in the Oxford district and three schools in the more rural Lafayette County School District were involved when the two-year pilot program was launched last year. Alisa Fye, from the TVA program in Mississippi, said each school saved on differently levels and found various ways to save energy across the board. While Oxford and Lafayette County were the only systems to participate in the pilot program, new districts are looking to begin the venture in the coming year. The pilot program has also instigated the expansion of TVA Green Schools to around 60 additional schools in the entire region. Oxford’s Bramlett Elementary School claims to have saved nearly $10,000 per year by just turning off lights in classrooms and offices and turning off computers at the end of the day. Schools across the participating districts will look to apply these easy cost-saving methods and many more, including adopting specific energy policies for each individual school. Certainly, with the attraction of saving thousands of dollars on utility bills by efficiently balancing energy-use, stated policies on energy efficiency and green school initiatives could become school staples in the years to come.