CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION

                    NEWS RELEASE



For Immediate Release:  December 14, 1994
Fore more info contact: Rob Schlichting (916) 654-5159



STATE LOAN PROVIDES NORTH FORK SCHOOLS 
WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS


The California Energy Commission today approved a $74,713 
low-interest loan to Madera County's Chawanakee Joint School
District for new energy-efficient lighting and other energy 
improvements.

The loan, made possible through the Commission's Bright 
Schools Program, will enable the North Fork-area district to
cut utility bills at three elementary schools. 

With an enrollment of approximately 950 students, the 
Chawanakee Joint School District operates Spring Valley and 
North Fork elementary schools, which teach grades 
kindergarten through eight, and a third school, Sierra View
Elementary, with grades kindergarten through six.

At each of the schools, inefficient incandescent lights will
be replaced with energy-saving fluorescents, and existing 
fluorescent bulbs and fixtures will be updated.  "We're 
modernizing every light bulb in the district," said Mark 
Logee, the school district's Director of Maintenance, 
Operations and Transportation.

As an example of the savings anticipated, Logee pointed out 
that 220 exterior 100-watt incandescent bulbs at North Fork 
Elementary will be replaced by only 39 50-watt high-pressure
sodium lamps.  "That's a substantial reduction in energy, 
and yet the lighting quality we will achieve will be 100 
percent better," he said.  "In these times of stretched 
education budgets, this program offers small schools real 
help."

The district estimates that the energy it saves will reduce 
its utility bill by over $15,000 a year.  "From those 
savings alone, our district should be able to repay the 
Energy Commission loan in just under five years," Logee 
concluded.  

The retrofitting work, to be done by a local contractor, 
should be finished by the end of December, and should 
qualify for energy-efficiency rebates from the district's 
utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric.  

The Energy Commission's Bright Schools Program was 
established to help finance energy-saving projects for small
school districts with fewer than 2,501 students.  The funds 
come from negotiated settlements and court judgements 
against petroleum companies for consumer overcharges between
1973 and 1981.


                         #####


Mark Logee
Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation, 
Chawanakee Joint School District (209) 877-7144

Energy Commission Contact: 
Rob Schlichting, Information Officer (916) 654-4989


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File Name: 94-12-14_Bright_Schools_North_For