Staff Contribution to Energy Costs Enters 5th Year
Des Moines Public Schools is a national leader in energy efficiency thanks to the collaborative effort of teachers, administrators and staff.
In an effort to save energy costs paid by local taxpayers, Des Moines Public Schools, as it has for the past five years, is asking its 5,000 employees to pay a small portion of the electrical costs if they choose to use personal convenience appliances at work.
The practice has been in place since the 2009-10 school year. In fact, the idea for appliance fees originated with teachers and staff in response to a school district proposal to ban all personal appliances in the classroom due to energy costs. Many expressed concerns that this proposal would create an inconvenience, and suggested some sort of compromise, such as a small fee to offset the utility costs. The district agreed to this suggestion, which has been in place ever since.
While this practice is not new, one thing is new this year: a sticker will be placed on personal convenience appliances to confirm that they are not district property and that the fee has been paid.
Of course, whether or not personal convenience appliances may be used in a classroom is actually determined at the school level as part of their site-specific energy plans.
The fee is a very small portion of what the district’s annual energy costs would be for each personal appliance. The following provides a comparison of typical operating costs compared to the fee:
| Estimated Annual Operating Cost* | Annual Fee | |
| Small Refrigerator | $153.30 | $30 |
| Coffee Pot | $123.04 | $20 |
| Microwave Oven | $32.86 | $10 |
*DMPS February 2013 Energy Report Card
The fee does not apply to district-owned appliances provided to DMPS employees in break rooms or other common areas.
The school district has been a state and national leader when it comes to energy conservation and efficiency, thanks to a collaborative effort by teachers, administrators and staff throughout the district. With more than 5,000 employees, the cost of operating personal convenience appliances could amount to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, money that would otherwise be directed to our schools. The district has a duty to the public to be fiscally responsible, and this small fee for the use of personal convenience appliances is one small contributor to that responsibility.
The district invites you to read more about our award-winning energy saving efforts here.
