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Sustainable
schools good for
students, districts
Editor's note: The
Energy Services Bulletin
features real answers
to real questions posed
to our staff at the
Energy Services Power
Line. We hope you find
it useful.
Question:
Our
school district is in
the siting phase for
a new high school. Do
you have information
about the importance
and benefits of an efficient
building?
Answer:
For
most school budgets,
operating costs are
second only to salaries,
so designing an efficient
building that also enhances
occupant comfort and
learning can yield significant
savings. Additional considerations
only make sustainable
building more attractive:
- Recent
studies have shown
a strong connection
between daylighting
and learning. Natural
daylighting and passive
solar design provide
better learning environments
and conserve resources,
while reducing utility
bills.
- Indoor
air quality is a
major issue for many
buildings. Using
non-toxic materials
can reduce indoor
air toxins that,
if not controlled,
can result in expensive
and disruptive remediation
or even total loss
of the building.
- Energy
efficiency and more
sustainable practices
are gaining importance
and can have very
positive impacts
on the life-cycle
cost of a project.
- Wildly
fluctuating energy
costs wreaked havoc
on many operating
budgets in the past,
and are likely to
do so in the future
since energy supply/demand
and cost tend to
be cyclical.
- In
most areas of the
country, the number
of voters without
school-age children
far outnumbers those
with them. A project
that benefits the
whole community—by
providing or maintaining
local jobs, for
example—may
be more appealing
to more voters.
Depending
on specific features
chosen, the technologies
can also provide educational
opportunities, making
them even more beneficial
to schools.
- Xeriscaping,
a landscaping practice
that saves water
and protects the
environment, illustrates
lessons in plant
biology, geography
and climatology.
- Green
roofs can mitigate
stormwater run-off,
while providing science
lab opportunities.
- Renewable
energy resources
can provide uninterruptible
power supplies for
computer systems
and demonstrations
for science, physics
and engineering classes.
It
is critical that key
players agree on what
type of facility they
want at the beginning
of the project. If
you decide on a high-performance,
resource-efficient
building that uses
sustainable practices,
the next task will
be finding an architect
who is also dedicated
to those practices.
Start by talking to
school districts that
have already built
this type of facility.
All
of this can seem almost
overwhelming when the
need to build a new
school is immediate.
Fortunately lots of
help and information
are available, including
the articles and case
studies listed below.
Since you're in the
early planning and
siting stage, the list
focuses on this stage
and on the benefits
of building a resource
efficient school.
Articles
and fact sheets:
Case
Studies:
