Plan rewards frugal schools and bills energy hogs
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Nearly 100 Hawaii public schools need to pay the Department of Education between $59 and almost $24,000 for exceeding their energy budgets.
The charges are part of a new School Energy Conservation Program that is also rewarding dozens of campuses that reduced electricity consumption with rebates ranging from $2 to more than $14,000.
The Education Department launched the initiative as an incentive for schools to counter escalating electric bills caused by record-high oil prices.
It requires schools surpassing a three-year average of their electric use to pay for half the amount they go over. In turn, schools lowering energy expenses will get a check worth half the savings.
"Some of them are not happy," Randy Moore, assistant superintendent for school facilities and support services, said about schools like Kapolei High, which is appealing a fee of $23,850.
"The challenge for everybody is that historically the electricity was not an expense the schools had to worry about," he added, noting the Education Department has picked up schools' energy tabs regardless of the price. "But there's only so much money in the well, and if something is free to the user, they will use more of it."
ALEXANDRE DA SILVA
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The state Department of Education has started charging public schools thousands of dollars for exceeding their electricity budgets while awarding rebates to campuses that conserve energy.
Click here to view a list of each school’s energy usage.
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The Education Department, which has historically covered schools' electric tabs regardless of amount, hopes the initiative will help remind administrators, teachers, students and staff to turn off lights, computers and printers and shift to energy-efficient appliances.
But the incentive will likely have educators thinking twice before equipping rooms with computers, expanding hours and bringing in personal air conditioners or toasters, because that could push energy consumption over the limit.
The School Energy Conservation Program requires a school surpassing its three-year average hourly kilowatt usage to pay for half the amount it goes over. In turn, a school lowering energy expenses will get a check worth half the savings.
After the first semester of the 2007-08 school year, 98 principals are faced with bills ranging from $59 to almost $24,000. And 84 schools stand to get rebates worth between $2 to more than $14,000 in the beginning of the next academic year.
While educators lauded the program, principals from the two schools owing the most money are appealing the charges.
"We are asking for some kind of exemption," said Keaau High Principal Ann Paulino, who joked she would have to hold a bake sale to pay the $13,368 bill, the second highest among schools penalized.
Paulino said air conditioners installed throughout the Big Island campus since it was built in 2000 have malfunctioned, possibly throwing off the school's average electrical use each year.
"In a place like Keaau that is very moist, you are going to have problems with AC units if they take in all of that moisture," she said. "We would just like to have a base line when all of it functions properly, and therefore we'd get an accurate measure."
Kapolei High needs to come up with $23,850, the steepest fee, after its electrical consumption climbed 12.21 percent above average.
But Vice Principal Hartwell Lee Loy Jr. attributed the energy spike to Kapolei High's stadium, which he said opened in August 2006 and was not factored into the campus' electrical average recorded for the school years 2003 through 2006.
"We need to take that into account to take a better estimate," he said, worrying funds for educational programs would have to be diverted to pay the overage.
The idea for the energy program came from Act 96, which Gov. Linda Lingle signed in 2006. It called for state agencies to "lead by example" and counter rising electrical costs by moving toward alternative fuel use and energy efficiency.
Randy Moore, assistant superintendent for school facilities and support services, said schools' energy budgets were adjusted for electrical changes from new classrooms, buildings or air conditioning installed by the department.
He said officials would consider appeals to ensure measurements are valid. The Education Department is already reviewing data for 61 schools whose energy use was 15 percent higher or lower than their average.
To help schools save energy, the Education Department has given them compact fluorescent light bulbs to replace incandescent bulbs during the summer break and offered tips to keep classes bright and cool with sunlight and fans.
Meanwhile, the top energy-saving school was Maui High, which should get $14,491 back, largely because air conditioners were down for some six weeks, according to Principal Randy Yamanuha.
"We probably could use that money to take care of some of the infrastructure, such as changing light fixtures," he said.
Kapolei Middle, which opened in 1999 and features lights that automatically turn off when a room is empty, will get $10,372. Principal Annette Nishikawa said staff also were told to take home personal refrigerators and coffee machines.
The Education Department spends about $40 million annually to power 253 isle schools. Campuses on military bases do not pay for electricity, and charter schools are responsible for their bills.
Last year, McKinley High, one of the top energy spenders in the state, raised concerns about the conservation program during a pilot phase, noting the school might be forced to cut back on the number of groups that use the campus after school or during weekends for meetings or sports.
However, Moore said while schools are required to be available to the public, they must also charge people for electrical expenses.
"Because there has been no consequence for not sending a bill, some people say, 'Well, it's good community relations.' But community relations has a cost," he said.
SHOCKING COSTS
The Department of Education is charging schools for exceeding their energy budgets and rewarding those that reduce electricity consumptin:
| School |
Rebate/Charge |
Percent change
in kilowatt use |
| Ahrens Elementary |
-$8,004 |
-12.39 |
| Ahuimanu Elementary |
$994 |
6.57 |
| Aiea High |
$989 |
2.17 |
| Aiea Intermediate |
$4428 |
13.67 |
| Aikahi Elementary |
$1,126 |
6.62 |
| Aina Haina Elementary |
$304 |
1.76 |
| Ala Wai Elementary |
$860 |
6.09 |
| Aliamanu Elementary |
-$70 |
0.45 |
| Anuenue Elementary |
-$1,169 |
-6.82 |
| Barber’s Point Elementary |
$1,690 |
7.09 |
| Campbell High |
-$4,102 |
-3.46 |
| Castle High |
-$5,126 |
-5.79 |
| Central Middle |
$462 |
2.35 |
| Dole Middle |
-$1,458 |
-5.32 |
| Enchanted Lake Elementary |
$966 |
0.0644 |
| Ewa Elementary |
-$2,479 |
-9.19 |
| Farrington High |
$3,397 |
2.81 |
| Fern Elementary |
-$321 |
-1.74 |
| Haaheo Elementary |
-$328 |
-6.82 |
| Hahaione Elementary |
$89 |
0.46 |
| Hauiku Elementary |
$338 |
3.38 |
| Hana High and Elementary |
$4,105 |
11.51 |
| Hanalei Elementary |
-$1,527 |
-7.63 |
| Heeia Elementary |
-$149 |
-1.01 |
| Helemano Elementary |
$555 |
4.37 |
| Hilo High |
$4,942 |
5.78 |
| Hilo Intermediate |
-$3,044 |
-10.01 |
| Hokulani Elementary |
-$520 |
-6.02 |
| Holomua Elementary |
$7,364 |
7.59 |
| Holualoa Elementary |
-$1,906 |
-9.99 |
| Honaunau Elementary |
-$219 |
-2.66 |
| Honokaa Elementary |
-$256 |
-1.08 |
| Honokaa High & Intermediate |
$653 |
2.13 |
| Honowai Elementary |
$760 |
3.75 |
| Iliahi Elementary |
-$286 |
-2.30 |
| Jefferson Elementary |
-$995 |
-4.30 |
| Kaahumanu Elementary |
$2,028 |
6.33 |
| Kaala Elementary |
-$816 |
-7.61 |
| Kaelepulu Elementary |
$191 |
2.84 |
| Kaewai Elementary |
$208 |
1.57 |
| Kahakai Elementary |
-$2,997 |
-11.61 |
| Kahaluu Elementary |
-$712 |
-8.26 |
| Kahuku Elementary |
-$1,158 |
-7.98 |
| Kahuku High & Intermediate |
$3,449 |
6.53 |
| Kailua High |
$5,675 |
12.77 |
| Kailua Intermediate |
-$339 |
-1.42 |
| Kaimiloa Elementary |
$59 |
0.28 |
| Kaimuki High |
$11,026 |
10.14 |
| Kaimuki Middle |
$5,779 |
11.37 |
| Kainalu Elementary |
-$909 |
-5.18 |
| Kaiser High |
$8,379 |
10.42 |
| Kaiulani Elementary |
-$209 |
-1.18 |
| Kalaheo Elementary |
$393 |
4.48 |
| Kalaheo High |
-$2,809 |
-5.21 |
| Kalakaua Middle |
$2,763 |
9.09 |
| Kalama Intermediate |
-$240 |
-0.49 |
| Kalihi Elementary |
$262 |
2.35 |
| Kalihi Kai Elementary |
-$2,387 |
-7.23 |
| Kalihi Uka Elementary |
$346 |
4.18 |
| Kalihi Waena Elementary |
-$303 |
-1.72 |
| Kamaile Elementary |
-$1,269 |
-5.58 |
| Kamalii Elementary |
-$1,585 |
-2.24 |
| Kamiloiki Elementary |
$162 |
1 |
| Kanoelani Elementary |
-$1,164 |
-6.60 |
| Kapaa High |
$1,375 |
1.27 |
| Kapaa Middle |
$6,862 |
11.80 |
| Kapalama Elementary |
$2,559 |
11.22 |
| Kapolei Elementary |
$805 |
1.43 |
| Kapolei High |
$23,850 |
12.21 |
| Kapolei Middle |
-$10,372 |
-8.20 |
| Kapunahala Elementary |
$102 |
0.78 |
| Kau High & Pahala Elementary |
$3,508 |
11.27 |
| Kauai High |
$2,563 |
2.50 |
| Kauluwela Elementary |
-$2,502 |
-7.38 |
| Kaumana Elementary |
$152 |
2.09 |
| Kaumualii Elementary |
-$1,669 |
-3.60 |
| Kaunakakai Elementary |
$105 |
0.48 |
| Keaau High |
$13,368 |
6.12 |
| Keaau II Elementary |
-$233 |
-0.23 |
| Kealakehe Elementary |
$1,832 |
5.57 |
| Kealakehe High |
$11,777 |
10.79 |
| Kealakehe Intermediate |
$250 |
0.64 |
| Kekaulike High |
$1,716 |
2.13 |
| Keolu Elementary |
$89 |
0.82 |
| Keonepoko Elementary |
$2,748 |
10.53 |
| Kilauea Elementary |
-$491 |
-4.61 |
| Kilohana Elementary |
-$675 |
-10 |
| King Intermediate |
-$7,344 |
-11.48 |
| Kipapa Elementary |
-$1,441 |
-7.51 |
| Kohala Middle |
$173 |
2.8 |
| Koko Head Elementary |
-$1,312 |
-8.32 |
| Konawaena Elementary |
$2,286 |
3.67 |
| Kuhio Elementary |
$1,612 |
12.86 |
| Kula Elementary |
-$112 |
-1.10 |
| Lahainaluna High |
-$8,613 |
-10.56 |
| Laie Elementary |
$1,382 |
8.65 |
| Lanai High & Elementary |
$821 |
2.87 |
| Laupahoehoe High & Elem. |
-$569 |
-3.25 |
| Lehua Elementary |
$1,287 |
9.20 |
| Leilehua High |
-$12,502 |
-12.5 |
| Lihikai Elementary |
$788 |
2.83 |
| Liholiho Elementary |
$234 |
1.63 |
| Likelike Elementary |
$1,441 |
9.56 |
| Liliuokalani Elementary |
$1,004 |
8.31 |
| Linapuni Elementary |
-$1,120 |
-14.46 |
| Lincoln Elementary |
$1,232 |
9.25 |
| Lunalilo Elementary |
-$452 |
-2.62 |
| Maemae Elementary |
$824 |
5.36 |
| Maili Elementary |
$5,995 |
11.09 |
| Makaha Elementary |
-$654 |
-5.15 |
| Makakilo Elementary |
$716 |
3.51 |
| Manana Elementary |
$776 |
6.11 |
| Manoa Elementary |
$477 |
2.34 |
| Maui High |
-$14,491 |
-13.36 |
| Maui-Waena Intermediate |
-$6,818 |
-10.45 |
| Mauka Lani Elementary |
-$619 |
-3.42 |
| Maunaloa Elementary |
-$507 |
-8.57 |
| Maunawili Elementary |
$1,632 |
10.64 |
| McKinley High |
$4,080 |
2.84 |
| Mililani High |
$6,319 |
6.91 |
| Mililani Ike |
-$1,865 |
-3.53 |
| Mililani Mauka Elementary |
-$1,446 |
-2.82 |
| Mililani Uka Elementary |
$186 |
0.75 |
| Mililani Waena Elementary |
-$2,016 |
-6.25 |
| Moanalua Elementary |
-$1,576 |
-8.06 |
| Moanalua High |
-$3,253 |
-2.84 |
| Moanalua Middle |
$699 |
1.55 |
| Momilani Elementary |
-$210 |
-1.78 |
| Mountain View Elementary |
$415 |
1.87 |
| Naalehu Elementary & Inter. |
$666 |
5.51 |
| Nanakuli Elementary |
-$798 |
-3.34 |
| Noelani Elementary |
$110 |
0.78 |
| Nuuanu Elementary |
-$671 |
-5.65 |
| Olomana School |
$97 |
1.89 |
| Paauilo Elementary & Inter. |
$421 |
6.05 |
| Pahoa Elementary |
-$2 |
-0.02 |
| Pahoa High & Intermediate |
-$1,483 |
-3.10 |
| Palisades Elementary |
$256 |
2.68 |
| Palolo Elementary |
$495 |
4.07 |
| Parker Elementary |
-$283 |
-1.28 |
| Pauoa Elementary |
-$240 |
-1.67 |
| Pearl City High |
$609 |
0.63 |
| Pearl Ridge Elementary |
-$320 |
-1.16 |
| Pohakea Elementary |
-$781 |
-3.85 |
| Pope Elementary |
$1,322 |
8.41 |
| Princess Nahienaena Elem. |
-$2,118 |
-9.19 |
| Puohala Elementary |
-$167 |
-1.36 |
| Puuhale Elementary |
-$795 |
-2.25 |
| Radford High |
$5,931 |
9.52 |
| Red Hill Elementary |
-$692 |
-4.56 |
| Roosevelt High |
$1,686 |
2.53 |
| Royal Elementary |
-$4,323 |
-13.85 |
| Salt Lake Elementary |
-$1,998 |
-7.69 |
| Shafter Elementary |
-$522 |
-7.28 |
| Stevenson Middle |
-$539 |
-1.65 |
| Sunset Beach Elementary |
-$929 |
-8.35 |
| Wahiawa Middle |
-$5,729 |
-0.1422 |
| Waiakea Elementary |
$897 |
3.76 |
| Waiakea High |
$2,464 |
2.52 |
| Waiakea Intermediate |
$2,764 |
8.15 |
| Waiakeawaena Elementary |
$1,631 |
8.36 |
| Waialua Elementary |
$1,174 |
6.50 |
| Waialua High & Intermediate |
-$3,272 |
-5.86 |
| Waianae High |
-$9,867 |
-8.21 |
| Waianae Intermediate |
$6,233 |
13.86 |
| Waiau Elementary |
$145 |
0.90 |
| Waikele Elementary |
-$6,493 |
-12.78 |
| Waikiki Elementary |
$190 |
1.58 |
| Waikoloa Elementary |
$3,385 |
7.92 |
| Wailuku Elementary |
$1,021 |
4.10 |
| Wailupe Valley Elementary |
-$4,668 |
-12.88 |
| Waimalu Elementary |
$1,341 |
9.88 |
| Waimanalo Elementary & Inter. |
$2,327 |
8.65 |
| Waimea Canyon Elementary |
-$2,401 |
-5.41 |
| Waimea High & Intermediate |
$2,133 |
3.28 |
| Waipahu Elementary |
-$3,928 |
-13.38 |
| Waipahu High |
$7,090 |
6.84 |
| Washington Middle |
$2,116 |
6.10 |
| Wheeler Elementary |
$1,360 |
7.57 |
| Wheeler Intermediate |
$170 |
0.94 |
| Wilcox Elementary |
-$602 |
-1.79 |
| Wilson Elementary |
-$229 |
-0.72 |
- indicates rebate
+ indicates charge
Source: Hawaii Education Department
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