School information for the discriminating reader; Energy savers

Do you use fluorescent lights in your school buildings? One Canadian university converted its four-tube fixtures to two-tube, and used cool white (instead of warm white) bulbs, saving about $40,000 the first year.

At several US colleges and universities, shower heads at dorms have been fitted with water-saving devices with high savings.

At least one university has put timed light switches in classrooms, insuring that the lights will go out when classroom is not in use, and the savings have been considerable.

In a warm climate? Have a black or dark roof on any of your buildings? Paint it white, save hundreds in air-conditioning costs.

Are you still heating lavatory water at the same temperature as water needed for washing dishes? Turn thermostats down and save as much as half of the bill to heat water throughout the school.

Several schools have shown immediate savings by making sure that all unnecessary pumps are turned off during school breaks.

One school, uses two windmills to power batteries which light both parking lots and outdoor athletic facilities.

Another school has two roofs 14 inches apart. Heated air which builds up there in winter months is pulled with a fan down into the building, augmenting the regular heating system and reducing the cost enormously. In the summer, air in the buildings is blown out through this roof space which acts as an insulator.