Interfaith Coalition on Energy
Spring 1993; pg.4
What is an Energy Warden? To make conservation work, one person in your organization accepts responsibility for reducing energy costs. Ice has developed the following task list to help Energy Wardens perform their duties.
• Contact the electric utility to determine whether the facility is on the most bene½cial electric rate.
• Contact the natural gas utility to determine whether the facility is on the most bene½cial gas rate.
• Ensure that the facility is not paying state sales tax.
• Gather at least one year of energy invoices and summarize them.
• Measure the building on the outside to determine the number of square feet of heated and/or cooled ¾oor area.
• Convert one year’s energy units to btus and divide that number by the square feet of ¾oor area to determine an energy budget for the entire building.
• Using data from similar buildings, compare the resulting energy budget for the building to determine its energy conservation potential.
• Visit the building at least once when it is not occupied.
• Prepare a list of machines or places in which energy is being used unnecessarily.
• Follow up to ensure that those machines or places are using less energy than before the initial visit.
• Review all maintenance contracts for heating and cooling equipment.
• Ensure that the work agreed to by such contracts has been performed.
• Review the need for renewing all contracts.
• Check that all pipes and ducts in unconditioned spaces have been insulated.
• Examine all ½lters in air handlers, all ½nned tube radiation, hot and chilled water coils, convectors and unit heaters to ensure that dust or dirt is not restricting the ¾ow of air.
• If the facility is being billed according to electric demand, arrange for installation of time clocks on electric water heaters and interlocks on cooling compressors to restrict coincident demand during peak periods.
• Inspect the building to identify pathways which allow cooled air to escape or heated air to enter the building during the cooling season.
• Restrict these pathways unless there is evidence of condensation of moisture or the build-up of odors.
• Purchase only energy-ef½cient light lamps, tubes, ballasts and luminaries.
• Replace standard lamps in long-burning luminaries with energy-ef½cient lamps.
• Where lamp replacement is not appropriate, replace standard luminaire with an energy-ef½cient luminaire.
• Supplement photocell controls with time clocks to reduce the number of operating hours for outside lighting.
• Ensure that the temperature of the domestic hot tap water is no hotter than 110° f.
• Replace standard showerheads with water-saving showerheads.
• Insulate all tank-type water heaters.
• Consolidate the contents of partially-used refrigerators into as few appliances as possible.
• Empty refrigerators should be cleaned, unplugged, and left ajar.
• Install timers on non-dairy vending machines.
• Adjust pilot light ¾ames to their lowest practical height.