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Shools across the nation can join the effort to reduce their combined utility bills by 5%! Students will investigate many areas in and around their school building where energy and water is used and often wasted.  

Energy Use Audits

Water Use Audits 

Water Meter Reader
Be Water Wise: School Water Audit
Conserving Water: Home Water Audit 
Water Use and Conservation
Water: An Amazing and Precious Resource
Measuring Water Flow Rates

Tips to prepare for your audit

The following is information that you may want to have available as you begin your investigations of energy and water use in the school. You may find that you do not need or are unable to gather all of this information, however, investigating the answers to these questions will help students and the rest of the school community build  awareness of their school building and its energy use. To compare energy use and savings over  2-3 years, locate the utility bills. Bills for the entire year are best, but Feb- May is adequate to do acomparison for your school.(Note that bills can be tracked and printed online.)

Locate these utility bills in order to complete your final analysis to determine overall savings:

• Electric bills
• Heating and cooling fuel bills
• Water bills

Sample Audit Questions:
1. How is the school heated?
2. What type of hot water heater does the school have?
3. What are the settings on the hot water heater?
4. Where are the thermostats located?
5. What is the average setting on the thermostats in the fall, winter, and spring?
6. What is the schedule for maintenance on the furnace and ac units (if applicable)?
7. What year was the school built?
8. Have major renovations been done on the building? What were they and when were they completed?
9. What is the number and type of light bulbs in each classroom?
10. How many outlets are in each classroom?

Note: More details will be included in each audit lesson above!

Once you've completed all the audits, learn how you can improve your audit results!