Mark Force, director of maintenance for the schools, shows off the boiler at Bromfield that will be replaced this fall. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Energy-conscious school Director of Maintenance Mark Force has been on a mission to tighten up energy use in Harvard’s schools since he arrived on the scene five months ago. He closely tracks energy improvements on a four-page spreadsheet, and can document the effects of changes that have been implemented.

He said the first thing he and his staff did was go after “low-hanging fruit,” the “no-brainers,” such as replacing standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Between March and the end of July, the facilities staff replaced 201 bulbs, for a potential total savings of 50,723 watts per week, depending on usage. Force said the potential monetary savings is “in the thousands.”

Force said he is working with staff in the superintendent’s office to research utility costs going back to fiscal year 2006, to help demonstrate savings gained in the last two years. He is also working with town Finance Director Lorraine Leonard on researching National Grid rebates that might be available for another project under consideration—lighting upgrades for the gym and auditorium at Bromfield.

Force said that the school’s network manager, Mark LaVertue, is looking into the implementation of an automated system to automatically shut down all the schools’ computers at night.

“I think all departments are doing their best to find ways to conserve,” he said.

Seemingly small things can have a big impact on energy usage, said Force, such as preventive maintenance programs for equipment. He noted that the heating and cooling units in the schools are inspected and serviced quarterly. The vendor who maintains Bromfield’s automated building management system, which governs the timing and usage of the heating and cooling systems, comes in every two months to make sure that the system’s parameters are set properly. And it’s no accident that the recessed walls surrounding the skylights in the halls have recently been painted white—a change from the former yellow. Force said that it helps amplify and reflect the natural light that comes in from those windows, reducing the need for additional lighting.

The next big project on the facilities table is expected to bring about a noticeable improvement to the Bromfield heating system. Force said that one of the ancient boilers in the building—most likely original equipment—will be decommissioned before the start of the heating season, and replaced by two separate, dual-fueled boilers, which will allow more flexibility in controlling the heating system and improve heating efficiency.

He hopes to get the elementary school on an automated system at some point, to better manage heating and cooling there, but it’s a longer-term prospect because of “huge upfront costs.” In the meantime, the 24 ceiling fans that were a subject of much discussion at Town Meeting have been installed at the school, which should help maintain a more even temperature in the 12 classrooms where they are installed.

Looking for even more ways to economize on electricity usage, Force and his staff replaced the light bulbs in the superintendent’s office, providing more light with less energy.

“We’re going to look at this on all fronts,” he said.

Force noted that education plays a big role in energy efficiency. He said people need to learn, “If you’re not going to be around, shut the lights off.”

He said he plans to share information on utility costs with all the school department heads, to help in the education effort.

Force said that in the school department energy-saving “is a team effort.”

“Everybody’s on board with it,” he added.