HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS

“Green” or High Performance schools are designed and built, and then operated and maintained to be healthy, productive, energy-efficient and cost-effective learning environments.Green school buildings incorporate current technology to protect the health and comfort of children and school employees while saving energy, natural resources and money.They promote good indoor air quality as well as visual, thermal and acoustic comfort.Energy, water and material efficiency, sustainability, cost effectiveness and safety and security issues are all addressed from the beginning of the design process.

The current national models for building healthy, high performance Schools are LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) for Schools, the US EPA’s IAQ Design Tools for Schools, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) protocols for New York, the Northeast, Massachusetts and California, the New Hampshire Partnership for High Performance Schools and Washington Sustainable Schools.These national models address issues that are unique to K-12 school buildings such as: school-aged populations, school occupancy schedules, community use of the building, student transportation issues, landscaping needsfor playing fields and playgrounds, stricter policies for low-emitting materials to protect children’s health, acoustics criteria to foster a better learning environment and the need for an IAQ management plan during occupancy to protect student health as well as ensure the longevity of building systems.

Effective operation and maintenance procedures are essential to protect the investment in and the performance of a high performance school building.All national models include the existence of a preventive maintenance plan in their descriptions of necessary components of a high performance school.NH Partnership for High Performance Schools states that superior indoor air quality in a high performance school can only be achieved and maintainedby properly siting buildings, limiting the use of toxins and biological agents (during construction, operation and maintenance over the life of the building), controlling sources of contamination and providing adequate ventilation.NE CHPS says: “The key to an energy efficient high performance school is both the design process AND what happens after the building is occupied!”NE requires schools to implement the EPA’s Tools for Schools Program. NE and NY CHPS both require a school maintenance plan that includes an inventory of all equipment in the new or renovated school and its preventive maintenance needs.

Summary of CT LAW Dealing with High Performance Schools:

(CT General Statutes Section Nos. 10-285a, 16a-38k and 29-256a)

• Applies to both state-owned buildings, including state schools, and public school facilities that satisfy the following criteria:

  0. New construction of a state facility, including a state school, that is projected to cost $5 million or more, and is approved and funded on or after January 1, 2008;

  0. State facility renovation, including that of a state school, that is projected to cost $2 million or more, and is approved and funded on or after January 1, 2008;

  0. New construction of a public school facility that is projected to cost $5 million or more, and of which $2 million or more is state funded and authorized by the CT General Assembly pursuant to Chapter 173 on or after January 1, 2009;

  0. Renovation of a public school facility costing $2 million or more of which $2 million or more is state funded and authorized by the CT General Assembly pursuant to Chapter 173 on or after January 1, 2009.

• Requires schools to be built to meet specified energy and environmental standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Standard or its equivalent)

• Requires schools to exceed the current building code energy efficiency standards by at least 20%

• Allows for a waiver of these requirements if the cost of compliance outweighs the benefits

• Requires the state building inspector and the Codes and Standards Committee to amend the State Building Code to require: 
  (1) buildings costing $5 million or more built after January 1, 2009 and
  (2) renovations costing $2 million or more starting January 1, 2010 to meet the LEED Silver Standard or its equivalent

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Question: Has a new school building project in your district incorporated any “green” or high performance elements?

Answer:  Our newest school will have solar panels on the roof.  It also uses a lot of natural delighting techniques in its design.

RELATED LINKS:

EPA IAQ Design Tools for Schools website:

www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign

EPA website section on Green Building:

www.epa.gov/greenbuilding

EPA New England website section on Green Buildings:

www.epa.gov/ne/greenbuildings

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) website:

www.chps.net/

CT Green Building Council website section on High Performance Schools:

http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/hpschools_finalreport_2006.pdf

Greening America’s Schools - Costs and Benefits:

http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2908

Healthy Schools Network, Inc. School Design: Healthy & High Performance Schools:

www.healthyschools.org/clearinghouse.html

National CHPS

www.chps.net/national.htm

Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) website:

www.neep.org/

US Green Building Council website:

www.usgbc.org/

US Green Building Council (USGBC) website on Building Green Schools:

www.buildgreenschools.org/

USGBC LEED for Schools website:

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1586

 Building Green Schools Resource List

High Performance Green Schools

 Alliance to Save Energy Green Schools Project  http://www.ase.org/section/program/greenschl/
The Green Schools program is specifically geared toward school districts looking to make their existing buildings more efficient. The website offers helpful guidelines for starting a program. Also available through the website are free materials that include key learning concepts for green schools, an annotated bibliography of green schools instructional resources, curriculum materials, and information about ways to save energy in schools. The Alliance to Save Energy produces a green schools newsletter and organizes the “Earth Apple Awards” – prizes for schools that use energy efficiently.

Collaborative for High Performance Schools
http://www.chps.net
Toll Free Phone: (877) 642-CHPS Email:chps@eley.com

Although the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) was developed as a standard for California’s public schools, this website contains excellent information. Its Best Practices Manual is a good standard reference for high performance school design and has information directed to school districts and guidelines for designers. It contains information on each building system and provides a variety of detailed design recommendations centered on resource efficiency, daylighting, and indoor air quality. The CHPS program is being adapted by other states, like Massachusetts.

Energy Star for Schools
Environmental Protection Agency: Energy Star Program
http://yosemite1.epa.gov/estar/business.nsf/webmenus/Schools 
Toll Free Phone: Energy Star Hotline: (888) STAR-YES
The Energy Star for Schools program assists facilities decision-makers in improving their school’s energy performance and labeling their buildings as Energy Star certified. Most of the information on the website applies to facilities in general, rather than to schools specifically.

NESEA Building Green Schools Resource List 1
Resources available through the website include information about financing Energy Star buildings, building design guidance, service and product providers, and energy and financial management resources.
EnergySmart Schools
Department of Energy
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energysmartschools/
Email: doe.erec@nciinc.com
EnergySmart Schools is a campaign of the Department of Energy and its Rebuild America program. EnergySmart Schools offers schools training workshops, publications, recognition, direct technical assistance, financing options, and a host of other resources toward making school facilities more energy efficient. Resources available on the website include step-by-step guidance for making schools more energy efficient, classroom materials and activities, and information about school buses.

Green Schools Energy Project: Step-by-Step Manual
Youth for Environmental Sanity
http://www.yesworld.org/info/GreenSchoolsManual.pdf
Designed for high school students, this 30-page manual is an excellent way of engaging students in a process of research about energy use within their own schools. In addition to outlining the environmental effects of non-renewable electricity, this manual offers step-by-step guides for implementing energy saving projects in schools. The authors base the manual on their own experiences as students working to make their schools greener.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 
 http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
US Green Building Council 1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 805 Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 82-USGBC (828-7422) Email: LEED inquiries: leedinfo@usgbc.org
The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a priority program of the US Green Building Council. It is a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven building rating system based on existing proven technology. It evaluates environmental performance from a "whole building" perspective over a building's life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a "green building". This website has a list of LEED Accredited Professionals sorted by state, city, and last name. In addition, there is information and resources on the rating system, LEED certified projects, and an introductory PowerPoint that describes the benefits of green building and a primer on LEED. You can download this PowerPoint for no expense.

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities 
http://www.ncef.org/rl/high_performance.cfm  NCEF's High Performance School Buildings. National Institute of Building Sciences 1090 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20005 Toll free: (888) 552-0624 Phone: (202) 289-7800
NESEA Building Green Schools Resource List 2
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, this website provides extensive resource lists that cover planning, design, financing, construction, and the operation and maintenance of school facilities. The lists are annotated bibliographies and include links to full text publications and related Web sites, descriptions of books, studies, reports and journal articles. Specific topics pertaining to green building include daylighting, high performance school buildings, energy savings, indoor air quality, and much more. Look for the resource list on their website.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
http://www.nesea.org
50 Miles Street, Suite 3, Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301-3212
Phone: (413) 774-6051 x12 Email: mpelletier@nesea.org
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is the nation's leading regional membership organization focused on promoting the understanding, development, and adoption of energy conservation and non-polluting, renewable energy technologies. We work to bring clean electricity, green transportation, and healthy, efficient buildings into everyday use in order to improve the environment, protect human health, and nurture local economies. For more than a quarter century, NESEA has facilitated and enhanced a network of professionals, practitioners, and other citizens in pursuit of responsible energy use. Our programs and activities focus on the northeastern United States (from Washington, DC to Maine).

Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC)
http://www.sbicouncil.org/
1331 H Street, N.W., Ste. 1000 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 628-7400 Email: SBIC@SBICouncil.org SBIC has developed a High Performance School Buildings campaign to generate interest among school building owners and designers in building high performance, sustainable school facilities. The campaign includes workshops, a High Performance School Buildings Resource and Strategy Guide, and policy analysis. The guide is an excellent resource for school decision-makers who control a school building process. The SBIC website also offers useful introductory information on high performance schools.

U.S. Green Building Council
http://www.usgbc.org
US Green Building Council 1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 805 Washington, DC 20036 Phone: 202/82-USGBC (828-7422) Email: General USGBC inquiries: info@usgbc.org
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. LEED is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council.

NESEA Building Green Schools Resource List

Renewable Energy and Schools

Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy
http://www.dsireusa.org/
The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. It includes a state-by-state database of ‘Schools Going Solar’ programs
Million Solar Roofs Solar Schools Success Stories

Department of Energy
http://www.eren.doe.gov/millionroofs/success.html
The Million Solar Roofs Initiative has funded several solar on schools programs. This website includes success stories from schools that have participated in the programs. The two-page briefs provide project background information, solar system descriptions, and financing options.

Schools Going Solar
Interstate Renewable Energy Council
http://www.irecusa.org/schools/index.html P.O. Box 1156 Latham, New York 12110-1156 Phone: (518) 458-6059 Email: info@irecusa.org
The Schools Going Solar program aims to build a network of people who can share experiences using solar energy in schools. The website offers a useful means to stay informed of solar school programs and opportunities, and provides an electronic newsletter and a database of schools using solar.

Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA)
Schools Going Solar
http://www.solarelectricpower.org/going_solar/schools.cfm

1800 M Street, N.W., Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036-5802 Phone: (202) 857-08987 Email: SolarElectricPower@ttcorp.com 
SEPA’s Schools Going Solar offers helpful information for schools considering the integration of solar in their facilities. The website provides an introduction to solar power on schools, the ABCs of solar, practical information, case studies, information about financing options, and links to existing solar schools.

Solar Energy Goes to School
http://www.nesea.org/publications/books.php 
Written by Richard Eidlin of Solar Works, this article examines the use of solar photovoltaics on schools and provides a list of ingredients to initiating a successful solar project at a school.
NESEA Building Green Schools Resource List 4

SolarQuest™
http://www.solarschools.com/
Solar on Schools Program Management EcoSage, Inc. P O Box 274 Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: 1.802.685.3450 E-mail: webmaster@solarschools.com
By participating in SolarQuest™, students from around the world will take the lead in a renewed effort to power the 21st Century with clean energy resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It all starts by enrolling in the SolarQuest™ curriculum and working toward the installation of a photovoltaic system in your school. Here you will be able to read about what others are doing and tell about your Solar School project too.

SolarAccess.com
http://www.solaraccess.com/
SolarAccess.com was started in 1998 by a group of Renewable Energy professionals who wanted to develop a network of renewable energy focused services. This website includes daily news covering renewable energy worldwide, along with links to the renewable energy marketplace.

Specific Topics: Daylighting, Indoor Air Quality, Life-Cycle Costing

 Daylighting and Productivity Study
http://www.h-m-g.com
Heschong Mahone Group
This frequently cited report, produced for Pacific Gas and Electric, studied the correlation between daylight availability and human productivity. One part of the study looked at elementary student test scores in three school districts, and found that significant improvements in test scores was strongly correlated with daylight in classrooms. You can download this study.
Student Performance of Daylit Schools http://www.innovativedesign.net/papers/studentdaylit.htm
Innovative Design, Inc. 850 West Morgan Street Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: (919) 832-6303 Email: innovativedesign@mindspring.com
Innovative Design, an architectural firm that has built dozens of green schools, conducted this analysis. The study investigates the relationships between elementary and middle school student performance and natural daylighting using three daylit schools in North Carolina.

Cost Effective Daylighting Design Strategies
http://www.coldhamarchitects.com/greenbuilding/daylightschools/daylightschools.htm 
Coldham Architects 155 Pine Street. Amherst, MA 01002 Phone: (413) 549-3616
The study involved construction of both electronic and physical models. The electronic models were used to study sunbeam penetration, and the baffling necessary to block the direct sun. The  NESEA Building Green Schools Resource List  physical models were used to determine the quality of daylighting and the amount achievable under various ambient conditions, particularly overcast conditions, which constitute 50% of the daylight hours of the year in central New England.

EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tools4s2.html Phone: (800) 438-4318 
The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Kit (Kit) shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff. Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools is co-sponsored by the National PTA, National Education Association, Council for American Private Education, Association of School Business Officials, American Federation of Teachers, and the American Lung Association.

Is Your School Suffering from Sick Building Syndrome?
http://www.pta.org/programs/envlibr/sbs1193.htm 
Published by the National PTA, this article provides information regarding sick building syndrome and how to identify it in your school. The AASA Schoolhouse in the Red project reported that one building in every eight, or 13,200 schools across the nation, is inadequate for learning.

Life-Cycle Costing http://www.wbdg.org 
Search for ‘Life-Cycle Costing’ in Whole Building Design Guide website for a description of life cycle costing and an explanation of how to conduct a life-cycle analysis.

School Planning and Management Magazine
http://www.peterli.com/spm/index.htm
By searching the archives for topics pertaining to green schools, one can uncover many useful articles pertaining to indoor air quality, the costs of green school construction, and other topics including the March 2001 article ‘Green Schools: A Design Fad or a Trend Worth Embracing?’ written by Joel K. Sims, AIA of Reese Lower Patrick and Scott Architects in Lancaster, Pa.