Within just two years, the Broken Arrow school district has saved more than a million dollars by being more energy efficient in and out of the classroom.
“I turn our air conditioning up during the summer. I turn our heat down in winter when no one is in the building,” energy specialist Jadon Dykes said.
And all of that can be done on Dykes’ computer.
Dykes is the district's energy specialist. He focuses on finding ways to save energy.
Dykes' uses a special program to track it.
“This shows that we are in the green which means we're saving energy,” he said.
The district also has hundreds of thermostats in their rooms. Each has instructions for heating or cooling after school hours.
Dykes also depends heavily on maintenance and custodial services.
“During the summer and the breaks we will fold the blinds at an upward angle like this and it reflects the sun off,” custodian Nickey Walker said.
That not only saves precious school funding but also gives the environment a boost.
“It's equivalent of removing 1,500 cars from the road and not driving those for a year,” Dykes said.
In the coming years, the district hopes to find additional ways to be energy efficient and save even more.
