efargo challenges local K12 schools to defeat Waste-a-Watt. The goal of this competition is to educate K-12 students about energy use and empower them to make positive changes for the environment and their community through their knowledge and creativity. Schools that accept the challenge will complete to reduce their energy use and receive recognition for their creative efforts. We will then celebrate their success on Earth Day, April 22, 2016.
If you accept the challenge, please sign your school up by clicking here to participate.
Energy Challenge 1.0
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electric% savingsgasAbout (Click here) ▼
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27%$1,911/$2,42722,620/28,653 kWh---/4,690 Therms 24%
Trees Saved
6 Weeks
Previous
kWh Electric
Therms Gas
Week 1
x5
Week 2
x5
x11
Week 3
x5
x8
Week 4
x5
No data at this time
Week 5
x4
Week 6
x3
No data at this time
Total over competition
x26
x24
no data at this time
Example
76.28
kBTU/sqft/yr
2013
74.42
kBTU/sqft/yr
2014
62.25
kBTU/sqft/yr
2015
70.98
kBTU/sqft/yr
Average
▼
71,200/60,639 kWh$8,990/$9,9894,289/7,033 Therms 14% 36.65%
Trees Saved
6 Weeks
Previous
kWh Electric
Therms Gas
Week 1
Week 2
x16
Week 3
x6
x14
Week 4
x9
x12
x7
x17
Week 6
x12
x10
Total over competition
x41
x68
no data at this time
Example
68.10
kBTU/sqft/yr
2013
74.45
kBTU/sqft/yr
2014
80.01
kBTU/sqft/yr
2015
74.19
kBTU/sqft/yr
Average
Week 5
▼
203,800/186,481 kWh11,578/16,493 Therms$25,251/$2,7175 3.50% 21.20%
Trees Saved
6 Weeks
Previous
kWh Electric
Therms Gas
Week 1
x8
x12
Week 2
x31
Week 3
x14
Week 4
x9
x20
Week 5
x24
Week 6
x15
Total over competition
x26
x92
no data at this time
Example
74.77
kBTU/sqft/yr
2013
70.19
kBTU/sqft/yr
2014
70.62
kBTU/sqft/yr
2015
71.86
kBTU/sqft/yr
Average
x9
▼
145,600/106,611 kWh5,864/8,347 Therms$16,378/$14,789 2.15% 27.75.%
Trees Saved
6 Weeks
Previous
kWh Electric
Therms Gas
Week 1
Week 2
x15
Week 3
x13
Week 4
x9
x19
Week 5
x6
x12
Week 6
x3
x8
Total over competition
x10
x71
no data at this time
Example
----
kBTU/sqft/yr
2013
38.43
kBTU/sqft/yr
2014
31.80
kBTU/sqft/yr
2015
35.12
kBTU/sqft/yr
Average
P
6
Welcome to the K-12 Dashboard! This is an interactive page to help learn about energy in Fargo and West Fargo schools. Click on your school at the left to get more detailed information, and check back weekly for updates throughout the Challenge! The four buttons above explain the different graphs, which may be explored within each school tab.
Trees| Schools usually use energy in two forms, gas (therms) and electricity (kWh). These two energy sources produce CO2. These CO2 emissions then can be converted into trees planted.
A medium growth coniferous tree sequesters 13.2 lbs of carbon over the first 10 years. So, our unit of measurement is = 5 trees sequestering the same CO2 each over 10 years time.
+ trees - trees
Sources:
Previous Data| This data set shows the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) measured in since 2013 for most schools. EUI is a measurement used to accurately and consistently measure a buildings performance based on energy use and square footage over yearly intervals.
6 Weeks| This data set displace schools performance over the period of the challenge. These graphics will be updated weekly and allow for comparison across the length of the challenge. Look in the tab to the left weekly labeled "6 Weeks" to visualize how schools are doing!
Workshops
Top Tens
Energy Use
Similar Challenges
Toolkit
Student Groups
NDSU Lions Club ▼
General K12 Challenge Volunteering
“The Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world every day because they share a core belief - to serve their community.” This is a group of passionate, engaged NDSU students eager to spend time in schools helping out in the K12 Challenge and meeting additional assistance needs. Volunteering can be adjusted to specific school and program. 20-25 students available, times may be limited. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information.
NDSU Society of Women Engineers ▼
General K12 Challenge Volunteering
“...We have a large focus on outreach with various programs and events geared to reach younger girls and get them interested in math, science, and engineering... In SWE we learn more than we can imagine, make a multitude of connections, and grow as individuals to become the best engineers we can be.” This group leads the highly successful Tech Gyrls outreach project and are excited to volunteer in schools with the K12 Challenge. They are knowledgeable in the engineering problem-solving process and some members have experience working in the energy profession. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information.
NDSU USGBC Workshop ▼
“The United States Green Building Council Chapter [at NDSU] recruits, connects, and equips the next generation of green building leaders by empowering them to transform their campuses, communities and careers.” Their members, many of which study Architecture, will lead 30-60 minute workshops exploring with students a process of ideation for implementing sustainable measures into the design of a school. They will ask questions, draw ideas for design solutions, and lead a brief pin-up presentation and discussion. Limited to four grade-appropriate workshops. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information: Spaces Filled
Professionals
School Facilities Management Lecture ▼
As Director of Maintenance & Operations, Jim Freu is responsible for managing school building facilities district-wide. This includes overseeing energy use, daily operations, investments and planning. In his position he imagines and implements ways to save energy on a daily basis. In a 30-60 minute lecture presentation and discussion, Jim will share his experience working with the school building stock, challenges to balancing energy-use with comfort and safety, and different sustainable features adopted in schools. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information.
Building Efficiency Professional Demonstration ▼
An effective way to test a buildings energy performance is to use a blower door to measure how well the building retains warm or cool air. This workshop demonstrates a method for evaluating energy efficiency in your classroom. Led by Russell Shell who is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable energy efficiency professional. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information, limited to one classroom demonstration per school.
CCEC's Energy Producing Bike ▼
Cass County Electric Coop has an energy bike that provides an opportunity to demonstrate an energy concept in a visual way. It allows riders energy to be transformed into light. The bike promotes energy conservation and teaches lighting technology as it compares LED (light emitting diode) and CFL (compact fluorescent) light bulbs to incandescent light bulbs. It takes more pedal power to run the incandescent light bulbs than it takes to run one of the bulbs that uses less energy. Hands-on demonstration and presentations available that last 30-60 minutes. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information.
EAPC Architects ▼
Ryan Watson is an Architect with more than six years of experience in the design and construction of K12 Schools in North Dakota. He will share his experiences in Architecture, specifics about energy efficiency in school design, and a comprehensive construction document set full of drawings. Availability may be limited, as he works every other week in Western North Dakota. Contact Challenge Coordinator for more information: Spaces may be filled
JLG Architects ▼
A group of JLG Architects and Designers led a workshop for 8th Graders to think creatively about their “Design a Green School” project.
Contact Troy to reserve a workshop for your school at: k12challenge@efargo.org
1 Shading Devices
Use shading devices to help control heat loss and gain through building windows. Open blinds at the beginning of the school day to allow the sun to help heat the building. After the school day is over, close blinds to avoid heat loss through the windows.
http://www.nrel.gov/tech_deployment/pdfs/commercial_building_checklists.pdf
2 Close Openings
Make sure that all windows and doors remain closed when the HVAC system is running. By allowing conditioned air to escape the building, energy and money are being lost. For some systems, this can also negatively impact the temperature of other spaces.
http://www.coolcalifornia.org/article/save-energy-schools
3 Special-Use Rooms
Some spaces of school buildings are only used during specific hours of the day; such as the cafeteria, auditorium and gymnasium. Ensure that your HVAC system is programmed around this schedule so that it is not heating or cooling an unused space.
http://www.ase.org/resources/energy-saving-tips-schools
4 Clear Vented Areas
Ensure that all airflow is left unblocked. Keep bulky furniture as well as personal items away from the vents so that spaces can be properly heated or cooled.
http://www.ase.org/resources/energy-saving-tips-schools
5 HVAC Settings
Have building maintenance personnel adjust HVAC temperature settings outside of regular school hours to save energy on space heating and cooling. The high percentage of energy used for heating and cooling can be greatly impacted by making this small change.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/schools/index.html
http://www.cacx.org/resources/documents/CA_Commissioning_Guide_Existing.pdf
6 Sleep Mode On
Computers are left untouched for several hours a day in K-12 schools, so it is important to make sure they aren’t drawing energy when unused. Make sure that computers are set to enter sleep mode when not in use. Screens should be set to power down after 10 minutes of use, and another goal is to maximize power down time especially during evenings and weekends.
http://www.usgbc.org/articles/how-much-could-your-school-save
7 Off For Holidays
Make sure that all electronic devices are turned off and unplugged over the weekends and holidays so that unused energy isn’t being wasted. Many electronics still use energy when they are turned off – this energy use is called a vampire load.
http://www.ase.org/resources/energy-saving-tips-schools
8 Turn Off Lights
This may seem simple, but for every 1,000 kWh of unused electricity you save nearly $85 on your electricity bill. Lighting accounts for an average 26% of a schools electricity use, so by turning off unused or unnecessary lights you can save large amounts of energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/schools/index.html
www.centerforgreenschools.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/Behavior-based-Efficiency.pdf
9 Use Natural Daylight
Utilize natural day-lighting when and where it is sufficient for the activity. Not only will you save energy on lighting, but you can also help to improve student performance. According to a study conducted by the California Board of Energy Efficiency, students were found to test 15-26% better in classrooms with natural day-lighting. Optimal light levels for classrooms vary based on activity, and can be found on page 7 here:
https://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/EPA_BUM_CH10_Schools.pdf
https://www.xcelenergy.com/staticfiles/xe/Marketing/Managing-Energy-Costs-Schools.pdf
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10 Reduce Water-Heater Temp on Weekends
Heating water requires a tremendous amount of energy. If possible, turning down the water heater temperature over the weekend can lead to savings.
http://www.nationalgridus.com/non_html/shared_energyeff_schools.pdf
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