The School!
Paulette Elementary
Week 31
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 Let
me begin this week by asking everyone how they enjoyed their electric
bill in January? When I think of how much money they made off of our
county in one month alone it burns me up that they wanted several
thousand dollars to move a pole off of the Paulette site. Fortunately,
the Director negotiated with them to get the cost reduced.A law called the Community Reinvestment Act forces banks and lending institutions to give back to their communities. They have to prove each and every year that they are doing good in the community. For example one local bank provides the paper to print report cards for a local school among other things. I suppose that there is no similar gestures by electrical companies. This all got me to thinking about saving money. Several months back I was in the meeting where the cost of moving that pole was discussed. It was really no surprise, the builders and the School System had the cost figured in. But Mr. Goforth asked to be given the permission to meet with KUB and negotiate the terms. I asked myself if this was already figured into the cost, why negotiate it  again?The answer is simply that every dollar saved can be used somewhere else. It is the same in our houses, if we put in one energy saving bulb it helps a little. If we replace all of our bulbs it helps a lot. When I arrived at the site this week I saw what I thought was smoke. I walked down and found concrete folks hard at work. You can see their progress in Figure 1. In this photo they are cutting expansion joints in cured concrete. The joints allow the concrete to move with the freeze and thaw of the earth beneath it. This one simple measure will allow the concrete to function expanding the sidewalk's lifetime 100%. Just like the new light bulbs in our homes, the joints seem minor but over years they will save numerous tax dollars. In Figure 3 we see a worker high up the the gym installing energy efficient windows. I have a friend in the building business who explained these windows to me. At one time he was building about ten homes a year and used a window from a well known company. These windows cost about $600 each compared to the next brand that cost $785. Each house he built he was saving $185 per window. Then he built his own house and used these same windows. One day two years ago he noticed that the windows in his own house were cold  to
touch during the winter months. The next summer while mowing he broke a
window and replaced it with the more expensive window. The following
winter again all his windows were cold...with the exception of the new
more expensive window.His research led him to a thing called U-value. Windows are rated in values regarding how energy efficient they are. A little math told him that the cost of a window didn't end at installation. He calculated that the cheaper windows were costing him $23 per year in heating bills and cooling loss. Now $23 a year didn't sound like much until you realize that he had 18 windows in his house. A little more math told him that he was spending $414 per year to save a few dollars at installation time. Each window being installed at Paulette has a very high energy efficiency rating. Now my friend replaced his windows and began saving the $414 per year. Again we are confronted with the reality, it may be a small thing but 18 of them added up to a large thing. Drive  by Paulette or look at photos on this site. Count the windows!By installing these windows each tax dollar goes further. Our schools are aging and all the Elementarys need to be replaced. Each year we as tax payers are losing money using old energy technology. My friend the builder tells me that Paulette will demonstrate this in a big way over the next three years. Security of the building must also become a concern. It is a sad reality of the times we are in. I have mentioned several times before regarding the security of the students during school. But we must also examine the costs of security of the premises and the equipment during the times that it is unoccupied. This requires alarm systems and also illumination at night. A great way of saving on electric bills is simply turning the lights off. But this simply can't be a reality in a public building. The exterior must be  illuminated
for security reasons. All around the school light fixtures are being
installed. You can see a completed one in Figure 2. These light
fixtures are state of the art in that they will provide the most
illumination for the least amount of money.Also being installed this week are the energy efficient indoor lights. These will use fluorescent tubes not unlike those we know today. There is one difference though, these tubes are highly efficient. In fact the county has begun installing them throughout all its buildings to save on electricity. To put it in terms that we are familiar with these bulbs will effectively give off the illumination of 100W lamps at about 20W cost. I mentioned before in this article that one of the ways we as homeowners are encouraged to save on our electric bills is simply to change our bulbs out with new more efficient ones. Look at Figure 5, in this bundle there are six light fixtures. Each fixture will use four tubes. I counted almost 100 of these bundles at the site. While each light will save a small amount in monthly bills, the entire group of them will save an enormous amount. With Paulette each detail was looked at with the thought in mind, "How can we get the most and cost the taxpayers the least?" But the biggest thing the workers are talking about this week is heat. The electrical system was energized allowing at least a minimum of heat to be pumped into the structure. As I toured the site each window opening had temporary covering to hold what little heat they had in. Figure 4 shows one of the massive heating units supplying welcomed warm air into the structure. The true measure of our success isn't in salaries or recognition. The true measure of success is the public good we generate. In everything we do did we do our best? Do we leave our little piece of the world a little bit better than we found it?  Sometimes it is easy to become jaded and think that those in charge have forgotten us. Sometimes we think those making the decisions have forgotten the cost of what they do. One only has to look at some of the homes built in the last fifteen years. Does a family of two actually need a $500,000 house and two $80,000 SUVs? No. It is the same with public buildings. All too often they are built with the notion, "What kind of monument can I make to myself?" We have a choice can we be remembered for the huge building we built? Or can we be remembered for the building we built that sets the standard for those around us? The Union County School System and our county are building a structure that will demonstrate in the future (as it already has) what can be done if we think. A very intelligent man told me recently that a lot of money is wasted when people don't research and don't spend a little time thinking. I hope when Paulette opens, there is as much thinking inside the school during class, as was placed in every detail of building it. |
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