Energy Smart Schools “101” By Doug Iverson, Southface Fellow www.eere.energy.gov/ energysmartschools
Roy Lee Walker Elementary School features a pond and sundial. “Through advanced technology at Walker Elemtary, students can experience firsthand their interdependence with nature,” said Principal Deb Beasley.

Energy Smart Schools was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 1998 to assist the nation’s K-12 schools in meeting their considerable energy challenges. The program is part of Rebuild America, a DOE program that focuses on improving communities nationwide through energy efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency has also become a participant through its Energy Star ratings program.

Tools For Schools is another program the EPA has developed, which shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost, using sensible strategies and in-house staff. Good indoor air quality contributes to a favorable learning environment for children and better productivity for teachers and staff. Indoor air pollution, two to five times higher than outdoor levels, causes great concern for schools dealing with radon, mold, chemicals and dust. Asthma and allergies have also been related to poor indoor air quality. Energy Smart Schools’ program principles consider these factors during the design stage of new schools and in retrofitting existing schools to improve energy efficiency and student performance.

Energy Smart Kids:

• Children who learn in Energy Smart Schools become aware of the benefits of energy efficiency and are exposed daily to the living environment. Lessons learned are carried with them throughout their lives.
• Energy Smart Schools’ programs integrate the physical environment with the student learning process.
• Studies have shown that students in Energy Smart Schools have increased test scores as much as 25%.

Energy Smart Country:

• Schools in the United States spend more than $6 billion each year on energy. The Department of Energy determined that 25% of this expense could easily be saved through better building design and using energy-efficient technologies combined with improvements in operations and maintenance.
• The $1.5 billion of energy bill savings could be used to hire 30,000 new teachers or purchase 40 million new textbooks every year.

Benefits of the Energy Smart Schools Program:

• Reduces energy use and expenses, and increases the use of clean energy technologies.
• Improves the classroom environment of schools through the use of daylighting, better climate control, air quality and other factors involving the buildings.
• Raises community awareness on issues of air quality, climate change, new technologies and management of school expenses.
• Offers environmental education opportunities and provides for hands-on applications of math and science, as well as a general awareness of environmental issues.

Costs and Savings:

• Once a new school is built, it will not be altered again for 20, 30 or 40 years. In the same 20 years, an Energy Smart School could save more than $1 million.
• Incorporating energy smart designs for the school at the concept stage is essential. With the need to construct new buildings, school districts tend to focus on initial costs instead of long-term savings that can be reinvested in the school.
• Energy Smart Schools cost an average of 10-15% more than conventional schools. However, a well-designed school could cost the same as a conventional building. Energy savings can be recognized early and can pay for additional initial costs. The reduced cost to operate the building year after year is another benefit.
• School Boards can promote the attributes of energy-efficient designs—more comfortable classrooms for students, reduced energy bills and lower operating and maintenance costs.
• As facility managers become familiar with their buildings’ energy consumption, school districts can create incentives to monitor energy use. By tracking energy use, schools can challenge the students to reduce their energy consumption, using the challenge as a basis for energy education.
• Existing schools can perform an energy audit and take control of energy use through improved building performance. By learning where a school wastes its energy and by making improvements that result in the highest energy and monetary savings, any school can become an Energy Smart School.
• One innovative method for financing Energy Smart Schools is to use of an energy services company (ESCO) that pays for the capital improvements and then is compensated over a period using the generated utility bill savings.

Encouraging active participation from students in the energy conservation process can be educational and can empower those children to be conscientious, Energy Smart citizens. Southface’s Green Building Services team can help make your school a “Smart” School.

Alternative energy and design features hark back to older days when natural lighting was the only source of light and windmills pumped water. Lo-tech approaches meld with hi-tech design to create the best of both worlds. Right: Another beautiful view of the R.L. Walker School pond.