David Hobstetter Archives - School Construction News

Solar for Schools Hits Each District in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — As part of the Solar for Schools program, solar panels installations were planned at 73 schools across all 41 school districts in Utah.

The program was designed and funded by the Utah State Energy Program and made possible by $3 million in federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Johnson Controls, a building efficiency and local government solutions company, is managing the project by designing and installing the panels.

Johnson Controls is also providing a hands-on renewable energy curriculum for grades K-12 and teacher training, in partnership with the National Energy Foundation.

Hillside Middle School in Salt Lake City received twenty-two, 245 watt panels, which equals a 5.39 kW system. “The operating system produces enough energy to satisfy the annual needs of a typical computer lab,” said Greg Libecci, energy and resource manager, Salt Lake City School District.

The same PV system is also installed at the district’s Salt Lake Center for Science. Libecci said if budgets allow and Johnson Controls were to offer another system, he has another school identified and is ready to go.

“From a maintenance standpoint, there is not a lot to do,” said Libecci. “The snow melts off of it and a couple times a year we clean it off. The system should run without a hiccup and it has so far.”

The Salt Lake City School District serves approximately 24,000 students. Libecci emphasized the importance of raising awareness of efficiency and conservation in addition to renewals. He said the solar system is a nice initial introduction to renewable energy for the kids, parents and district.

“The curriculum piece allows students to compare schools and what amounts of power they’ve produced with a live data feed,” explains Bruce Munson, account manager, K-12, Local Government Solutions, Johnson Controls. “This program is about tying education to buildings, helping kids get interested and engaged in the math and sciences.”

Each solar panel is connected to a monitoring system so students can track live data from the installations and measure the effects of temperature and location on the energy output. They will be able to go online to a special website and compare their data with schools throughout the state. The website will be made live once all 73 schools’ solar installations are complete. Individual schools can then customize the curriculum for grade levels — elementary, middle, high school — and by subject matter area, e.g. math, science, language arts, social studies.

During most installations school is in session and the students are often unaware of the rooftop activity.

“One of the great things about the installation is that is does not interrupt the ongoing operation of the school,” said Charles McGinnis, energy solutions director, Johnson Controls. “You basically install these panels in a place that is appropriate for the right amount of sun, and you wire it into the building.”

Each 5.39 kW panel system, of mono-crystalline silicon solar modules and an inverter, occupies 61 feet by 13 feet of roof space.

Munson explained that the system is very modular in scale and scope and a 5 kW panel could be made into 10 kW very fast. “You can very easily upgrade or downsize them,” notes Munson.

With an average annual snowfall in the mountains near Salt Lake City of 500 inches, there has been no damage to the rooftop solar panels. “The snow melts off faster because they are black,” said Munson. “The snow may reduce production but it does not hurt the panels. They are glass and the snow slides off them. We have been able to maintain the integrity of the warranty system for all roofs.”

As for water damage, the chance of leaks is minimized by the fact that there is only one penetration per roof. “From a facilities perspective it is non intrusive,” said Mary-Jo Salzburg, program manger, marketing communications, energy solutions building efficiency at Johnson Controls. “With the ballasted system — there is only one roof penetration. We have been able to work with all roofing manufacturers to maintain their warranties.”

The panels sit approximately 16 inches above the roof. From a vandalism standpoint, Salzburg says that is preferred since they are not easily seen form the ground. “The panels are guaranteed to produce for 20 years,” said Salzburg. “Utah is spending its dollars wisely.”

More than 200 Utah teachers will attend a class this year sponsored by the National Energy Foundation. They will learn how solar, wind and geothermal energies work, with a special focus on the implications of renewable energy in Utah.

“To bring education to the students, it is not just about the facilities and it is not just about education. It is about the meshing of the two,” said Munson.

Salt Lake City School District’s Hillside Middle School was the first school to receive a solar array under Utah’s Solar for Schools program.

The post Solar for Schools Hits Each District in Utah appeared first on School Construction News.

Rotating the Curriculum

WASILLA, Alaska — It’s no secret that over the past decade the cost of heating fuel has increased dramatically — and nowhere has it been more of a challenge than in cash-strapped schools across the United States.

This cost increase has had some school districts to turning to “heat destratification” as a way of improving heating system efficiency while maintaining student comfort throughout the winter. The use of large diameter, low speed fans has proven to be an effective means in which to equalize air temperatures between floor and ceiling levels, contributing significantly to a decrease in the amount of fuel needed to heat the space, reducing energy bills by up to 30 percent.

Experts say that destratification of the air can have a significant impact on reducing the energy consumption of an HVAC system. The use of a single large diameter, low speed fan, for example, could reduce the heating fuel usage and increase the effectiveness of the ventilation system in the appropriate amount of space using only 75 watts.

With a 1,768-square-foot, 30-foot tall assembly area that gets south-facing sun, the Fred & Sara Machetanz Elementary School in Wasilla brought the element of air movement into its curriculum with the aid of a large fan circulating air throughout the unique multipurpose area. The 12-foot large diameter, low speed fan — powder coated yellow and designed appropriately enough by a company called Big Ass Fans, out of Lexington, Ky. — has aided in the thermal comfort of students and teachers.

“The fan helped improve the indoor environment of the building with a passive strategy of reversing the convection and getting our hot air off the ceiling back down to a floor,” says Jason Gamache, sustainability coordinator with McCool Carlson and Green, the architectural firm that designed the school, based in Anchorage. “This is the exact effect for which engineers designed the fan.”

It was the functional design of lean use of energy that ultimately got the school — located in a mountain valley in Alaska’s southern region only getting five hours of daylight on some days — LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

In line with LEED certification requirements, says school Principal Thomas Lytle, the crux of the building “had to incorporate natural light and airflow.”

Large diameter, low speed fans also play a large role in improving indoor environmental quality by turning the air in the space over several times per hour ensuring good air distribution. Research conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has shown that air quality within academic institutions is crucial to student’s overall achievement. A December 2000 EPA study entitled “IAQ Tools for Schools” found that student attendance “rose 5 percent after incorporating cost effective indoors air quality improvements.” The increased air circulation also helps inhibit mold growth while the gentle, quiet operation of the fan aids in student comfort, further contributing to a successful academic environment, according to the EPA.

Ranging in size from six to 24-feet in diameter, the principle of large diameter, low speed fans is to move large volumes of air resulting in uniform temperatures without incurring large gusts. Similar to aircraft wings, the winglets at the end of the patented airfoil design help eliminate wing-tip vortices that can induce drag and lower overall efficiency of the airfoils. Working with HVAC systems or on their own, these powerful fans use small horsepower motors to achieve the desired airflow. Maximum operating speed between 60-100 percent is used in the summer months to aid in the evaporative cooling process. In the winter months, fans can be slowed to aid with destratification.

Stratification occurs because hot air is less dense (lighter) than cold air. Since the hot air is lighter, it tends to rise leading to a significant temperature difference of 10 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit between the occupant/thermostat level and the ceiling. Most of this heat will eventually escape through the roof at a considerable expense resulting in wasted energy.

By thoroughly mixing the air within the space, a reduced buildup of heat will occur at the ceiling, resulting in less thermal conduction through the walls and roof and more uniform temperatures throughout.

“Even though the thermostat set-point remains the same in the winter, the heating system does not have to work as hard to maintain the given set point,” says Christian Taber, applications engineer and LEED AP for Big Ass Fans. “By reducing the amount of heat escaping through the roof, it’s similar to turning the thermostat down five to seven degrees.”

Big Ass Fans

The post Rotating the Curriculum appeared first on School Construction News.

Gaining Green Support

The past few years have been lean ones for most school districts across the country, so it is no big surprise that construction activity has waned in many areas.

But take heart. The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities and McGraw Hill Construction predict that annual spending on new schools, additions and alterations will almost double to $70 billion by the middle of the decade. Many factors are driving this more optimistic outlook, including rising student enrollments and shifting demographics.

The biggest driver of this projected growth is the need to replace and repair America’s aging schools, most of which were built in the 1950s -1970s. The American Society of Civil Engineers assessed schools across the country and awarded them a “D” grade in its 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.

Society cannot build itself out of this predicament. But we can make sure that when we do build, we build high-performance, energy-efficient schools that meet the current and future needs of students, educators, communities and taxpayers.

District Makes the Case for Going Green

In 2006, Bryant Public Schools opened Bethel Middle School, the first LEED-certified school in the state of Arkansas. The school was so successful and well-received that the district has since built Hurricane Creek Elementary and began expanding Bryant High School, using LEED guidelines for both projects.

With enrollment expanding by about three percent per year, Bryant is one of the fastest-growing school districts in Arkansas. In 2003, voters passed a millage increase to fund seven construction projects, including two new schools.

“This was a wonderful opportunity to improve the learning environment for Bryant students,” says Richard Abernathy, superintendent at Bryant Public Schools. “We knew it made sense to follow LEED guidelines. But we also knew we had to first win the support of the school board, state legislators, community leaders and other constituents by showing how green schools benefit students, teachers and taxpayers.”

Improving Learning Environments

The district engaged an energy services company to examine the connection between green schools and an improved learning environment. Many studies show a connection between an improved indoor environment and student health, absenteeism and academic achievement.

Deborah Bruick, Bryant’s assistant superintendent, studied the effect green schools have on student attendance and achievement for her doctoral thesis. As part of her analysis, she compared the perceptions of teachers from LEED and non-LEED schools.

“All the teachers I surveyed believe that the classroom environment affects student learning and health,” she says. “Overwhelmingly, teachers from LEED schools perceive that their schools provide a better place for students to learn and teachers to teach. This is especially true when they are asked about the effects of indoor air quality and acoustics.”

Going green also makes economic sense. Studies show the initial cost of building a green school is about two percent higher than conventional construction. But savings in energy and operating costs repay the higher first costs many times over during the school’s typical operating life.

Building Support for LEED

Bruick said building a passionate cadre of supporters was essential to the success of the district’s efforts to build greener schools.

“Keeping the school board apprised of our findings was essential to gaining their support,” she says. “We met regularly with board members throughout the pre-construction phases of the process.”

Along with the architect, commissioning agent, energy service provider and other traditional members, Abernathy included school administrators and faculty on the project design team. He and Bruick met regularly with a wide range of stakeholder and community groups. The administrators also reached out to state legislators, including state Sen. Shane Broadway, for backing. They accompanied several legislators on a field trip to a LEED school in Texas to see the difference first-hand.

Performance Contracting Helps Capture Savings

“Because he understood what we were trying to accomplish, Sen. Broadway sponsored legislation to amend state law so that we could use a performance contract to fund new construction,” Abernathy says.

“A performance contract considers the entire lifecycle cost of a project,” Abernathy continued. “It’s not enough to just compare construction costs. You also need to take into account such factors as energy consumption, operating expenses and maintenance costs. It’s impossible to put a price tag on the value of creating a better learning environment for our kids.”

Bryant’s new schools use natural lighting and acoustical panels to control noise. Energy efficiency features include a state-of-the-art heating, air conditioning and ventilating system, automated building control system, and lighting and temperature sensors in each room. With these and other features, the two schools are expected to save taxpayers $19.8 million in energy and related costs over their projected 50-year lifespan.

Bill Harris is the vertical market leader responsible for Trane’s K-12 and higher education business segments.

Trane

The post Gaining Green Support appeared first on School Construction News.

California District Plans Nine LEED Gold Projects

Montgomery Middle School

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — While construction has slowed for some districts, the Sweetwater Union High School district is working on nine projects designed to meet LEED Gold certification.

The projects were planned after Proposition O was passed in 2006 to provide $644 million in general obligation bonds for school construction and repair.

In addition to the nine schools planned for LEED Gold certification, designers recently completed plans for a LEED Platinum certified building to replace SUHSD’s Montgomery Middle School.

“Sweetwater Union is the only district west of Ohio that his nine LEED Gold construction projects and one LEED Platinum project in design,” says Jaime Ortiz, a program manager for Proposition O and for SGI Construction Management.

The $22 million project at Montgomery Middle School will involve demolishing existing buildings and constructing a two-story, 16-classroom structure with spaces for a library, counseling center, ASB, and cafeteria. The building will total 45,200 square feet in space.

Proposition O will cover $18 million of the project costs and the remaining funding will likely come from the State School Facility Program. Construction on the new building is scheduled to begin in 2011 and work on interim classrooms is currently under way, Ortiz says.

The new Montgomery Middle School will exceed state energy efficiency standards by almost 40 percent, providing ongoing district savings in the form of lower energy cost, according to reports. Key green features include a rooftop solar photovoltaic system designed to provide 80 percent of the electricity for the school campus.

“The most novel item that we’re including in the project is a thermal displacement ventilation system, which will allow conditioned air in through the floor rather than the ceiling,” Ortiz says.

The displacement system uses less energy because of its design, which allows air to be pushed along at a lower velocity.

Additionally, designers incorporated a number of environmentally friendly finish materials, carpeting with recycled content, linoleum flooring made of rapidly renewable resources, and low-emitting adhesives, paints, and finish coatings.

The campus will use low-flow restroom fixtures and landscaped bio-swales that will treat storm-water runoff before it is released off site. Landscaping will include drought-resistant native plants, allowing for more efficient irrigation systems. In addition, light-colored roofing and outdoor surfaces will reduce the heat-island effect by reflecting sunlight and heat.

Once complete, the school will have plenty of shaded outdoor spaces, allowing teachers to easily take their classes outside. In addition, indoor architectural spaces will allow for academic displays, allowing teachers and students to connect what they learn in the classroom to what they see in the hallways and corridors.

Each classroom will be equipped with a CO2 sensor, which will monitor the amount of oxygen in each room and adjust air circulation as needed. If teachers and students are not receiving the appropriate amount of oxygen, the sensors will automatically start HVAC systems to allow more fresh air into the room.

Classroom technology will include digital projectors and interactive whiteboards. Additionally, plans call for ceilings and walls designed of sound absorbent materials and HVAC systems built to minimize distracting noises and vibrations.

Gilbane, Inc. and SGI Construction Management are the project managers for the Montgomery Middle School replacement project. LPA Inc. of Irvine, Calif., is providing architectural and engineering services for the project.

Funds from Proposition O will go toward upgrading a total of 35 middle, high, and adult schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District, providing much-needed improvements to facilities used by 43,000 middle and high school students and 27,000 adult learners district wide.

Phase 1 of the improvements involved upgrading the district’s nine oldest schools. Schools currently under development include Chula Vista High School, Chula Vista Middle School, Hilltop High School, Mar Vista High School, Montgomery High School, National City Middle School, Southwest High School, Southwest Middle School and Sweetwater High School.

The post California District Plans Nine LEED Gold Projects appeared first on School Construction News.

Bundle Green Retrofits

Over the past year, I’ve met with school districts from across the country. I continue to find that the challenges these districts face are incredibly similar.

Two years ago, schools wanted to talk about building green while struggling with the concern of first costs. Today, if your district is among the few that are still building new, contractors’ bids are coming in 15 percent to 40 percent under budget, leaving you with enough to tackle your entire green wish list with extra funds to spare.

What a difference a few years can make! For the vast majority of districts, the conversation has shifted. Philosophically, you know green is the right choice — a monumental shift worth celebrating. But with capital projects on hold and operating budgets shrinking as deferred maintenance lists grow longer, green once again feels like a luxury you might be unable to afford.

The U.S. Green Building Council can help you to make something out of nothing. The lull created by the challenging economic climate is an excellent opportunity to focus on low and no-cost strategies to green existing facilities and to use energy efficiency improvements as the “first fuel.”

School districts that undertake a comprehensive whole-building retrofit by coupling low- and no-cost improvements with energy-saving system upgrades are finding that they can afford to green their existing facilities. It’s the alternative — doing just a little at a time – that could be expensive.

Many districts address their deferred maintenance and facility improvement projects with a phased approach. For example, they upgrade lighting fixtures across the district one year and replace all the windows the next. This piecemeal approach is neither efficient nor effective.

Undertaking single-system upgrades across a district limits the potential for future whole-building retrofits for these facilities. In many cases, these smaller improvement measures replace old, inefficient systems with high-performance systems that yield fast paybacks through energy savings.

What makes fast paybacks problematic is that once a building receives energy-efficient upgrades for a few systems, it becomes a poor candidate for a more comprehensive retrofit. According to Greg Kats’ new publication, Greening Our Built World, “Once a building is retrofitted, it is typically uneconomical to retrofit it again for years. To achieve deep improvements will require that these shallow ‘cream-skimming’ retrofits generally be eliminated in favor of deep retrofits that achieve at least a 30 percent or 35 percent improvement in efficiency.”

Deep retrofits are best achieved through a paid-from-savings approach, which is a financing strategy to green existing buildings that leverages the savings generated from building system upgrades to pay for a comprehensive greening project within a defined payback period.

Using this strategy will enable your school to implement needed repairs and upgrades, achieve reductions in energy and water use and incorporate other green strategies and technologies in the most cost-effective manner.

The guiding principle for paid-from-savings projects is the concept of bundling — aggregating utility cost-saving measures with low- and no-cost green improvement measures to optimize green opportunities and project economics. Longer payback measures are bundled with quicker payback measures to create a project with a shorter overall payback period and a higher return on investment.

Successful paid-from-savings retrofits apply the concept of bundling to their financing strategies too, utilizing a combination of mechanisms, including existing capital or operating funds, tax-exempt bonds, utility rebates and grants, or performance contracting.

The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (www.NCEF.org) is a one-stop shop for information on public financing vehicles available to schools and districts, including the billions of dollars currently available for school modernization projects.

Earlier this year, USGBC released the “Paid-From-Savings Guide to Green Existing Buildings” to help owners implement repairs and upgrades, achieve reductions in energy and water use, and incorporate other green strategies and technologies in the most cost-effective manner. The publication provides guidance for building owners to decide if the paid-from-savings approach is a viable option and instructions for determining if their building has the potential to achieve LEED certification.

A copy of the "Paid-From-Savings Guide to Green Existing Buildings Executive Summary" can be downloaded for free through USGBC. To access this and other resources mentioned in this article, including profiles on successful projects, please visit www.GreenSchoolBuildings.org/SCN.

Rachel Gutter is director of the Education Sector of the U.S. Green Building Council.

The post Bundle Green Retrofits appeared first on School Construction News.

ISU Expansion Awarded Platinum Certification

AMES, Iowa — The King Pavilion addition to the Iowa State University College of Design was awarded LEED Platinum certification, marking the first higher education facility in the state to reach the pinnacle of the LEED system.

The $6.6 million, 27,735-square-foot facility houses instructional studios used by freshman and sophomores enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture and interior design.

"In the King Pavilion, designers have brought together scientific knowledge and technical innovations to create an environment that inspires and supports our academic activities — a space both poetic and pragmatic," says Luis Rico-Gutierrez, dean of design. "That is the power of design, and a tangible example of what faculty, students and staff in the college of design stand for."

RDG Planning & Design of Des Moines designed the expansion. The project scored 53 points out of a possible 69 points on the LEED scale, including exemplary performance points for daylighting, water efficiency and recycled content.

The facility exceeds the LEED system’s 75 percent daylighting benchmark with clerestory windows on both levels and a light monitor that is designed to reduce the use of artificial light. Occupancy sensors also monitor interior spaces to adjust temperature and ventilation.

"According to our energy model, the King Pavilion will save a little more than $22,000 per year in energy — about $1 per square foot — over a code baseline," says Michael Andresen, RDG intern architect and the LEED Accredited Professional on the project. "If you imagine ISU’s millions of square footage and the potential of saving $1 per square foot, it begins to put into perspective the impact that sustainability can have on a larger scale."

The pavilion was awarded another exemplary performance point for achieving a 50 percent water-usage reduction compared to a traditionally built structure. Dual-flush toilets, automatic sink faucets and low-flow urinals, are a few of the conservation measures installed in the new facility.

The facility’s third exemplary point was awarded for the use of recycled materials for 32 percent of construction materials. Builders utilized 75 percent recycled steel, recycled blue jean insulation, recycled plastics and restroom countertops made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

The King Pavilion is one of only eight LEED Platinum buildings in higher education at public institutions in the United States, according to planners. It is the second LEED certified building on the ISU campus. The ACT Data Center in Iowa City is the only other Platinum-certified facility in the state.

"We used a number of new technologies on this building that haven’t been used on campus before, and it will help us demonstrate how sustainable design provides a great learning environment,” says Kerry Dixon-Fox, project manager and an architect with ISU facilities planning and management.

The post ISU Expansion Awarded Platinum Certification appeared first on School Construction News.

Green Scene: Districtwide Sustainability

Take a Districtwide Approach With Sustainability

Many of us who work in the green building movement have a tendency to present sustainability as though it is a new idea. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

That which is sustained has survived over time, and that which is sustainable possesses the ability to keep on going. Establishing sustainability goals and initiatives for your school district means making a commitment to put in place practices to improve what you already have; build upon new successes and balance educational, economic and environmental priorities.

Sustainability at a district level will never be realized as a moment in time. Greening a school district is a journey in which incremental improvements are made over time and success is continuously redefined by the district’s own advancements and momentum. Building awareness, developing budget-wise strategies that meet the needs of your schools, and effectively engaging the entire community will make the implementation of sustainability initiatives meaningful and lasting.

New Mexico’s Rio Rancho Public Schools is one of the fastest-growing districts in the country. In order to keep pace with the district’s rapid growth, the facilities team at RRPS had to build a lot of new schools in a short period.

Martin Montaño, director of capital projects, was determined not to sacrifice quality for quantity. When developing plans for the new facilities, Montaño and his colleagues did something unusual: They looked to district operational improvements for inspiration.

The district had already implemented successful energy management, green cleaning and indoor air quality programs. What if the new facilities could echo the same commitment to efficiency and occupant health and well-being? In less than two years, Rio Rancho has opened three green schools, including the 356,000-square-foot V. Sue Cleveland High School, that are seeking LEED certification.

Energy-efficiency strategies and technologies in the new RRPS facilities inspired new resource and money-saving practices throughout the district. By unplugging lamps, microwaves, computers and other energy-consuming devices, Rio Rancho saved an estimated $40,000 over its 10-day winter break in 2008. All schools in the district have committed to a similar effort for every long weekend, as well as every Friday in February, saving the district hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in energy costs.

The district also hired a part-time energy manager to work with teachers, students and staff to accelerate the adoption of occupant-led energy-saving strategies. By encouraging efficient choices such as shutting off lights and computer monitors during lunch hour, the district saved more than $2.7 million in a single quarter.

When the San Francisco Unified School District in California elected to pursue LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance certification for Bessie Carmichael Elementary, it presented an opportunity to bring various green programs and practices that had been piloted throughout the district under one roof.

Nik Kaestner, director of sustainability for SFUSD, brought facilities staff from across the district together for a full-day charrette, and the team determined that energy management, green cleaning and integrated pest management practices in place in a number of schools could easily be implemented at Bessie Carmichael.

Sharing green victories with your community and reporting on continued progress provide invaluable opportunities for increased engagement and support.

RRPS and SFUSD use their district Web sites to explain their green initiatives and provide links to local and national media coverage. With SFUSD’s sustainability site, students, parents and community members can learn about the district’s green computing efforts, ultra-low sulfur diesel buses and green schoolyard projects. Those who want to be kept in the loop can sign up for the monthly e-mail newsletter.

If your capital funds have dried up and your operating budget is stretched thin, you can still place your district firmly on the path to green. Work with the school board to pass a green schools resolution that will institutionalize a districtwide commitment to sustainability. A sample resolution that addresses both new and existing facilities can be found at www.greenschoolbuildings.org/SCN.

New Orleans and its public schools are working together to go green. In May 2008, the New Orleans City Council adopted a resolution requiring that all new construction and major renovation of public schools earn LEED for Schools certification.

This past August, the city opened the first newly constructed public school since Hurricane Katrina. Pursuing LEED for Schools Gold certification, Langston Hughes Elementary is representative of New Orleans’s solid commitment to rebuilding green, and the first of more than 20 green school projects in the Recovery School District that will restore vitality and hope to a well-deserving community.

For school districts, green is a moving target — one that requires a long-term commitment from school district staff and the larger community. Setting goals and continually revisiting and adapting those goals will equip you to make better decisions and scale up your efforts over time. The green schools movement is fueled by our collective drive to move forward, carry on and sustain.

Web Resources

SFUSD’s sustainability site: www.GreenTheNextGen.com

Sample green schools resolution: www.greenschoolbuildings.org/SCN

The post Green Scene: Districtwide Sustainability appeared first on School Construction News.

Green School Retrofits

Sometimes the Greenest School is the One You Already Have

Just because you aren’t building green schools doesn’t mean you can’t make an existing school facility green.

Green schools don’t have to be new schools. By improving the operational efficiency and environmental performance of existing facilities, you can make the most of your school buildings and ensure that every student, teacher and staff member in your district can enjoy the health and performance benefits of a green school.

There is a lot of work to be done to deliver the greenest, healthiest, most cost-effective school buildings possible, but the payoff will be enormous. Greening your school buildings will significantly drive down operating costs while improving student and faculty comfort and productivity.

Unlike new construction, the greening of existing facilities is a journey, where success occurs through a series of incremental improvements to building performance, operational policies and maintenance practices. Your district has probably already set off down this path. If you have implemented a recycling program, introduced energy-efficiency practices or identified water-saving strategies, you are well on your way.

The LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) rating system provides a set of performance guidelines that can function as a roadmap for ongoing improvements to your building stock and operations and maintenance practices.

The rating system identifies and rewards current best practices and provides an outline for buildings to use less energy, water and natural resources; improve the indoor environment; and uncover operating inefficiencies.

The rating system addresses a building’s physical systems (equipment, design, land use, etc.) and the way the building is occupied and operated (waste management, temperature monitoring, cleaning, etc.). Although LEED certification is awarded to individual buildings, the majority of credits in the LEED-EB: O&M rating system involve sustainable programs, policies and plans that are best addressed at the district level.

When aligned with your capital improvements plan, building system upgrades will not incur new costs, and will instead take place during scheduled retrofits or renovations that have already been budgeted and approved.

When undertaking facility improvement projects, make sure that they meet the requirements set forth in the LEED-EB: O&M rating system.

Start Small

Consider identifying one or several school facilities to take part in a green existing schools pilot program and register the facilities for LEED certification. The lessons learned from the pilot will help to streamline the certification process for future schools and facilities.

One of the most important factors to consider when identifying the best candidates for a pilot program will be the building’s Energy Star rating. A building must achieve an Energy Star rating of at least 69 to be eligible for LEED-EB: O&M certification.

Determine the current energy performance rating of the schools in your district using EPA’s Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager is an interactive, online tool that allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption, performance and cost information for individual buildings and building portfolios. Based on monthly utility data entered into the online tool, Portfolio Manager will rate the current level of energy performance of your school buildings.

Even in a limited pilot scenario, navigating the greening process may seem overwhelming at first, but the U.S. Green Building Council’s new Toolkit for Green Existing Schools provides comprehensive guidance for schools and school districts that wish to green their existing facilities, realize measurable results and achieve LEED certification.

The toolkit, which includes a project management guide and a workbook with policy and planning templates will help you chart your course toward becoming a truly green district. Additional toolkit resources with online training modules will be available in 2010.

Rachel Gutter is director of the Education Sector of the U.S. Green Building Council.

A green schools toolkit and other green schools resources can be found here.

The post Green School Retrofits appeared first on School Construction News.