Energy  Education/Management

9/21/2010: CVUSD Receives National ENERGY STAR Award from EPA
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         In an effort to reduce energy consumption and save money the Conejo Valley Unified School District has implemented a new Energy Conservation and Education Program.  Rick Freed, our Energy Educator/Manager has been working under the guidance of a consulting firm, Energy Education, Inc. to develop a people oriented energy management program that is designed to become self-sustaining within four years.  This is a comprehensive program which promotes conservation of electricity, gas, and water. 

     Many measures are being taken to reduce consumption mechanically, however additional savings also come from reductions due to the encreased energy awareness of our faculty, staff, and students.  Our program emphasizes reduction during unoccupied times and promoting behavior changes from "energy concumers" to "energy savers".  To facilitate these changes the CVUSD has established a number of Energy Management and Conservation Guidelines.  These guidelines describe the detailed steps that are being taken to reduce energy consumption on all of our campuses. 

      Rick Freed is our Energy Educator/Manager and is in charge of the CVUSD Energy Education Program.  Before becoming our energy Educator in July '08, he had been a long time teacher and Department Chair at Newbury Park High School where he taught Physics and Chemistry for over thirty years.  He has a degree in Physics and has done extensive graduate work in Electrical Engineering.

     Rick  is responsible for gathering detailed information and data about energy consumption in all of our schools.  This includes learning about the operation of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and determining the occupancy patterns in each of our sites.  He is responsible for educating the staff at each site on ways their efforts can contribute to reducing energy costs.  Rick regularly performs energy audits at all of our schools to look for energy savings opportunities around the clock, especially during the predominantly unoccupied times of the day and night.

     The philosophy behind the program is fairly simple:  "Use what you need to run your educational program, be reasonably comfortable, but when you're done, turn it off".  Our Energy Program does not compromise or limit the District's education mission.  It does not limit or disrupt classroom programs or comfort.  All students, faculty and staff have been asked to do their part, however, to conserve and help create a culture of conservation within the Conejo Valley.