Charleston schools encouraged to save energy

Charleston County schools that save energy this school year will see some green.

The Charleston County School Board has approved a three-year, voluntary utility conservation plan to try to slow down the annual cost increases for its school and office buildings. Schools and offices will be given a budget of how much they are projected to spend, and every school that lessens its utility use and comes in under budget will get 20 cents for every dollar saved. There’s no restriction on ways schools can spend the money, and the remainder of the savings will be returned to the school district’s general operating fund, which pays for teacher salaries and classroom expenses.

Mark Cobb, the district’s executive director of facility services, said the goal is to save $400,000, which was a percentage of the anticipated 8 percent increase in its electric bill. If schools could hold the budget steady, “that would be a great goal,” he said.

The district’s budget for utilities was about $9.6 million last year, with $8.7 million going to electricity and gas and more than $1 million going to water and sewer costs. This coming year, the district expects a water increase of 3 percent and sewage bills to jump five percent, for a combined total cost of $10.3 million. School principals will get information about the program as well as tips on what they can do to conserve energy.

“I think it’s a lot of common sense stuff,” such as keeping doors and windows closed, not adjusting the thermostat and removing appliances such as coffee pots and radios from classrooms, Cobb said.

This is the second time the school district has put a conservation program in place with a financial incentive for schools.

Read more in tomorrow's editions of The Post and Courier.