by Rebecca Walker — December 23, 2009—Two-thirds of school districts responding to a “School Energy and Environment Survey” from Honeywell and Education Week Research have made spending cuts or modifications as a direct result of rising energy bills.
Seventy-four percent of respondents also said their districts don’t have the money to pursue energy retrofit or renewable energy projects. These budgetary constraints and cutbacks, primarily in building maintenance and capital investment, are hurting efforts to boost efficiency and resolve schools’ long-term energy and financial concerns, say the authors of the report.
“The School Energy and Environment Survey reveals that increased energy spending is negatively impacting school districts’ investments, programming and priorities,” said Sean Herdman, the associate publisher at Education Week Research. “Spending cuts tied to rising energy costs include areas that impact instruction and the learning environment, including teacher staffing, maintenance and key capital investments.”
The online survey gathered input from more than 250 district administrators nationwide regarding energy management and environmental sustainability practices. More than half of respondents have scaled back, delayed or eliminated the possibility of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects due to the economic downturn.
In addition, while 96 percent of survey respondents view energy management as important to their district’s long-term success, one-third reported that they do not have a strategic plan for managing energy consumption and costs.
For detailed survey results, see the Honeywell Web site.
