Schoff, L. V., (2015)
Districts can significantly reduce plug loads by powering down equipment that is not in use.
Tag: Energy Efficiency
GRID NEUTRAL: Electrical Independence for California Schools and Community Colleges
Division of the State Architect, California, 2009
Business Case for Grid Neutral Going grid neutral isn’t a challenge— it is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to lock in electricity costs providing financial predictability for your district and lower energy bills. It is an opportunity for cost avoidance for your district. And, if structured properly, it can all be done with no capital costs to your district.
Electricity costs represent the key element of the business case for schools and colleges going grid neutral. Imagine reducing payments to the utility company by 20 to 30 percent and sometimes more. Then imagine what you can do with money not spent on electricity. If a school district pays $6.2 million to its utility company per year, this might be used to hire more new teachers or purchase more than 104,000 textbooks, or buy 6,200 computers. Any one of these expenditures contributes directly to the district’s mission of educating our children.
The Whole-School Sustainability Framework
The Center for Green Schools, 2014.
Several years ago, the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University was involved in the planning of green school projects in and around our community of Fort Collins. We saw the potential for these buildings to be more than healthy, high-performing facilities; we saw that they held the capacity to teach students and community members about sustainability. Through the design, construction, and operations of these schools, we realized that not only is an educational component beneficial, it is imperative to the long-term sustainable operations of green school buildings and grounds. We saw that even the noblest of green building design intentions can be lost if sustainability is not integrated into the facility’s operational practices and educational program.
Educating for Sustainability
The Center for Green Schools, 2014.
A partnership between Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)® and the Center for Green Schools (the Center) at the U.S. Green Building Council wasn’t—at first glance—an obvious one. HMH, a global learning company that focuses on delivering best-in-class content to students and teachers, came to the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting to observe and learn from like-minded organizations that were pursuing innovative solutions to global challenges. The Center, a nonprofit with a mission to put every student in a green school within this generation, was at CGI cultivating partners to lead the movement toward healthy, safe, and resource-efficient schools. Our goals proved to be entirely complementary, and after just a year, our unconventional partnership has already been transformative in achieving our shared goal to educate all students so they graduate prepared for a more sustainable future.
Alliance to Save Energy
The Alliance's K-12 and higher education programs empower students to change the culture of their academic environment to one that embraces energy efficiency. Students lead no-cost behavior changes, building retrofits, events on green careers, and other initiatives that save energy within and beyond their school building. They also contribute to integrated demand side management where applicable.
Energy Institute Training
Training is available in oil and gas, energy management, and risk management.
Behavior-Based Energy Efficiency
See Action, State & Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Historically, energy efficiency programs have relied on financial incentives to motivate people to purchase energy efficient products. Behavior‐based energy efficiency strategies rely on other motivations that influence people’s energy consumption. These non-financial influences can be powerful motivators that encourage people to reduce their energy consumption. For example, some utilities send their customers home energy reports, which present that customer’s energy use relative to similar home.
Powering Down
The Center for Green Schools, 2013.
A toolkit for Behavior-based energy conservation in k-12 schools.
This report examines five public schools that have reduced their electricity use by an astonishing 20 to 37 percent through successful behavior-based strategies. These exemplar schools vary in their attributes and are spread across the United States, but their programs are linked and defined by shared elements and strategies.
School Sustainability Leaders Summit
The Center for Green Schools, 2015.
The Summit and the network it supports are the only of their kind in the country, specifically designed for staff at school districts, school systems and independent schools who are the point-people for environmental sustainability within their organization.
Energy Performance of LEED for new construction buildings
Turner, C., & Frankel, M. (2008).
This study analyzes measured energy performance for 121 LEED New Construction (NC) buildings, providing a critical information link between intention and outcome for LEED projects. The results show that projects certified by the USGBC LEED program average substantial energy performance improvement over non-LEED building stock. This Executive Summary briefly summarizes key study findings.
