By turning off the lights and curtailing extra bus trips at Center Drive School – and the season’s warm weather – the expected increases in fuel and energy cost are not as bad as first predicted, Superintendent Allan Snell said Wednesday. “We’ve been using fewer gallons per day than in the past,” he said. “Part is the warmer weather, but we’ve been really active about turning out the lights … and it has made a difference.” A fuel and electric use update was presented at Tuesday’s Orrington school committee meeting. Orrington has a bus contract that covers labor and the buses but is still paying more at the pump for gasoline than in years past. “We had budgeted $1.40 for gas, and we’ve ended up paying $1.89 per gallon, so we’re paying about 50 to 60 cents more,” Snell said. “We were paying 92.9 [cents a gallon] a year ago.” With the staff cutbacks, “it looks like we’re going to come out pretty close” to the amount budgeted, but it will be an increase, Snell said. “We are in better shape than anticipated.”