DaytonDailyNews.com

KETTERING — Besides budgeting for the possibility of high utility bills this school year, the Kettering City School district has hired outside help to help keep the bills low.

This summer, the district hired an energy company called Waibel Energy Systems "to help manage our energy program," said Kettering School Superintendent Bob Mengerink.

Waibel will be in charge of monitoring such things like lights, air conditioning and heat. The company will control the temperature of the district's buildings and "monitor it based on usage of the building."

"The energy company will monitor that temperature to make sure we are spending no more than what we have to," Mengerink said.

Fortunately the district was able to "modernize" all of their buildings as a result of the passing of past bond issues, Mengerink said.

The district buildings have florescent lights. "That saves a tremendous amount of money," Mengerink said. "It keeps your light level where it should be for a comfortable reading and working environment. Technology continues to improve."

Oakwood City Schools are also looking at how they can conserve more energy by exploring the idea of consulting with a University of Dayton professor about the possibility of having an energy audit, said Kevin Philo, treasurer and business manager for the district.

One of the ways Oakwood's school district saves money on utilities is by having their annual winter break.

Philo said the idea of giving the students a winter break started in the 1970s. The district shut down the schools for a week during the winter months to try and conserve heat.

This year's winter break is during the week of Feb. 17, 2009.

Right now, Philo says every year district staffers get a message about how much the district is spending and what they are spending money on. He said the focus is about more than just going green. It's about saving some as well.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2414 or kwynn@DaytonDailyNews.com.