Schools cannot pass on rapidly rising fuel costs by raising fees. While the price and availability of fuel remain out of the school administrator's hands, the administrator can influence the amount of fuel the school consumes. The administrator can manage four heat sources (heating plants, using conventional fuels, lights, people, and sun) and is faced with energy losses or gains through four processes (ventilation, infiltration of outside air, transmission of heat through building materials, and system inefficiencies). Great savings can be achieved through the use of common sense, but the educational purposes of the school must be considered along with the financial benefits of any conservation effort. Closing schools to save energy during crises may actually cause increased consumption in the community at large, as well as disrupting the normal flow of events in families that depend on their children being in school to permit the parents to work. Ending the school year early may provide more energy savings than a temporary mid-winter shutdown. Assessing the current situation and planning now for the immediate future are crucial if the administrator is to do an effective job of controlling the energy situation. (Author/PGD)