In addition to teaching students how to help the environment, Patterson Joint Unified School District’s new commitment to energy conservation will allow schools to actively take part in “going green.”

Members of the school board unanimously approved an energy conservation agreement with Sacramento-based Indoor Environmental Services during a meeting Monday, Nov. 16. The company can now upgrade old lighting in classrooms and install more efficient heating and cooling units, as well as tackle other energy-efficient suggestions.

The district also stands to benefit financially from the agreement — an extensive energy audit by IES estimated that the district could save up to $37,000 annually with the upgrades, said Steve Menge, the district’s assistant superintendent of administrative services.

“The idea behind this new commitment is that if we put in the money now, we will really see it come back twofold over time through our savings,” Menge said. “This is just the next step in making our schools as efficient as they can be.”

As one of the major changes, individual thermostats — able to be adjusted up or down by three degrees and to be manually set to run in 20-minute intervals outside of school hours — will be installed in each classroom. In addition, about 80 faulty heating and air conditioning classroom units will be replaced with more efficient models, and lighting will be upgraded.

Teachers and staff will also be educated in energy-efficient practices to make the most of the program, he said.

“We’re efficient already, but we’re trying our best to improve,” Menge said. “In the end, it’s not just about saving money, but also the natural resources we are all trying so hard to protect.”