Best Practice: 1.1 Energy Efficiency: District/School has very little wasted energy.  

About

There are many reasons to work toward energy efficiency in schools. First, it is one of the leading green school strategies to save money. Minnesota K-12 schools spend around 8 billion dollars per year on energy according to Center for Energy (CEE) and the Environment. This is more than the total they spend on books and computers. But there’s good news for potential savings. According to CEE “The most efficient K–12 schools used 1/3 the energy of their least efficient peers.” (1) These energy savings also reduce the environmental impact of energy use whether it is from natural gas or the portion of the electric grid that is powered by fossil fuel power plants. Along with clean energy, energy efficiency reduces fossil-fuel energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, and also reduces other air and water pollutants including mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and particulate matter. Schools can participate in the benefits of energy efficiency through understanding their use, creating an energy conservation culture and behaviors, installing energy conserving equipment, and making a comprehensive plan to improve their performanc over time. 

Vision and Benefits

The vision for energy efficient green schools is to move toward an ideal where all the energy uses in a school are minimized by using the most efficient materials and equipment that is only operated when needed. In addition, the school closely monitors the energy use over time, to quickly discover and correct any problems that arise. In an idea energy efficient green school, the students, staff, parents, and wider community learn about how the school uses and saves energy as a point of pride in the schools environmental responsibility and efficient use of financial resources.  All schools use some energy, and so the vision for a green school is that (using strategies from BP1.2) the energy is clean, - whether it is electricity generated on site or purchased clean energy. 

There are many benefits for schools from energy efficiency including cost, resilience to changing energy prices, environmental impact, and education. All of these are also addressed by clean energy measures and both efficiency and renewables can be integrated into an overall energy assessment for an integrated strategy that meets the schools goals. Energy improvements integrated with education can help prepare students for the growing green economy as well as be more informed citizens and consumers of energy.

Implement Best Practice Actions in a Project

Select Best Practice Actions (BPAs) to work on and complete

Review the list of actions that can be taken to shift your district or school toward greater energy efficiency. Start with documenting practices that are already being done at the school. Choose those practices that best suit the opportunities and other considerations at the school. 

Energy efficiency has many benefits. Across all of these categories, to get a complete picture, where possible consider energy use and efficiency in terms of actual energy used, financial impacts of that energy use, and environmental impacts of the energy use. In some cases new or more efficient equipment will have other benefits to be considered like reduced noise, safety, or local air quality. 

A. Management Process BPAs

Some degree of energy management processes are important to build awareness and put improvement plans into context. This section outlines important basic practices, whereas section D describes more advanced and comprehensive practices. 

A.1 Energy Assessment

• As part of an overall energy assessment, determine current energy consumption and consider options and opportunities for reducing energy use. This might be in the form of an energy audit. 

A.2 Energy Management Plan

• School/District has a plan for reducing energy use and maintaining performance (Goals, regular inspection and maintenance of equipment, education, monitoring)

A.3 Energy Issue Response

• District/School has a planned process for identifying and responding to anomalies in energy use discovered in energy bill tracking and benchmarking (if used). 

B. Energy Conservation Behavior and Culture BPAs

B.1 Direct Behaviors Program

• Energy savings behavior training and promotion campaigns (turn lights off when leaving room, power strip operation to reduce phantom loads, etc.) 

B.2 Energy Communications

• District/School regularly communicates energy performance to students and the community (for example through a web dashboard)

B.3 Energy understanding

• Couple with energy literacy curriculum / practices to foster understanding and long term conservation ethic, tying into place-based examples

C. Energy Conservation Measures

Consider all the end uses of energy that affect the energy use as measured at the main energy meters. Coordinate energy efficiency strategies with clean energy and electrification strategies listed under BP 1.2. In an ideal case alternatives would be tested in an energy model to identify their impact on energy use, energy cost, and environmental impacts to find the best alternative.

Overall energy efficiency

C.1 Efficient building enclosure

While most schools already have the walls, roofs, and windows of their building enclosure determined, these factors play a big role in creating the demand for heating, cooling, and lighting, so it makes sense to plan them carefully when building new, adding on, or upgrading materials as in a roof replacement or window replacement. Factors to consider include insulation value, air tightness, and even factors like color can affect energy use. For example white or light color roofs reduce the amount of cooling needed.

• Well insulated and sealed walls, designed with appropriate materials 

• Well insulated and sealed roofs, designed with appropriate materials

• Carefully selected windows that minimize heat loss and heat gain while admitting daylight - customized to the particular conditions and needs of a space.

Interior energy uses:

C.2 Indoor Lighting 

• Efficient Electric Lighting

• Effective, adjustable Electric Lighting Controls (multi level, zoned, scheduled)

• Daylighting with associated electric lighting controls

C.3 HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)

The systems that provide thermal comfort through heating and cooling.

• Effective, adjustable comfort control (adjustable thermostats, individual controls, occupancy control, timers)

• Efficient Equipment

• Well-Maintained Systems (keep air flows clear, filter replacement, etc.)

• Passive comfort approaches (strategic shading, cross ventilation etc.)

C.4 Water heating and Equipment

• Inventory water heating uses and consider strategies to reduce the energy used for water heating in sinks, showers, dishwashers, and more.

• Inventory other equipment and consider strategies to reduce the energy used for kitchen stoves, kilns, shop equipment and more.

C.5 Plug loads

Plug loads typically refer to those things that are plugged into outlets throughout a building like computers, fans, battery chargers, and so forth. 

• Determine the energy use from plug loads and consider policies, education, and behavior campaigns that reduce plug load energy use.

Outdoor Energy Uses

For transportation-related energy use see section 1.9 Commuting Efficiency (under development) and 1.10 Transportation Efficiency (under development) or specifically for electrification of transportation see 1.2 Clean Energy

C.6 Exterior Lights

• Efficient Electric Lighting

• Effective, adjustable Electric Lighting Controls (multi level, zoned, scheduled)

C.7 Landcare Equipment

Some gas using equipment energy use won't show up on utility bills, where as electric equipment charging would. Consider the whole energy use picture and associated impacts when planning land care energy efficiency. Coordinate with electrification strategies in BP 1.2.

• Inventory energy use for land care and find strategies to minimize energy use and associated impacts

D. Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Management BPAs

Actively monitoring energy use is recommended for all, but required to achieve higher recognition levels (step level 4 and above). The following BPAs set the foundation for advanced performance and build on the practices of section A.

D1. Establish a Performance Monitoring Practice with Baseline

• Looking at all forms of energy used at the school, establish a baseline reference year and a regular practice (at least yearly) to monitor energy use.
  MN B3 Benchmarking is the required method for achieving step level 4 and recommended at lower levels.

D2. Performance Improvement

• Using the baseline and performance monitoring practices established, track performance improvements over time compared to baseline use. Where possible identify the relationship between energy actions and overall energy use and impact improvements.
  MN B3 Benchmarking is the required method for achieving step level 4 and recommended at lower levels.

D3. Performance Planning

• Conduct an analysis of current energy use and its pollution impacts and set a strategic plan for how to transition the school to minimize energy use to reduce energy impacts on pollution and climate as well as achieve desired cost, resilience, and education benefits.

D4. Vision Backcasting

• Gather the green team, and representatives of staff, students, community and resource organizations to imagine what it would be like to reach the vision of Net Zero energy for the school, and how much of this vision could be accomplished through energy efficiency. Make this scenario engaging with sketches or models. Engage youth. Use D.4 Performance Planning to work backwards from this vision prioritizing steps along the way.

Submit Annual Review

The annual review for this best practice includes

• Confirming that Best Practice Actions are still active. (Eg. is equipment still installed and working? Are event or time based actions repeated each year?)

• Amending the documentation with any changes

• Adding any lessons learned from the prior year to share with others.

To submit the annual review, send in the BP Datasheet with updated calendar year in the update column to reflect which BPAs are still active.

GreenStep Resource Organizations

• Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS) is a MN GreenStep Resource Organization with many resources to help schools with assessment and procurement of energy efficiency and clean energy resources.

• Explore other GreenStep Resource Organizations for this best practice based on types of assistance they offer. As more resource organizations join, there will be more offerings and an ability to sort by type and topic of support.

Online Resources:

• Minnesota B3 Benchmarking is a free, online tool for tracking energy and water usage to manage and reduce costs. Use of B3 Benchmarking is recommended by MN GreenStep Schools for both energy and water, and is a prerequisite to achieve GreenStep Schools Step Level 4. Note that use of B3Benchmarking in Schools is also required by Minnesota law. 

Education Planning and Actions

Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS) is a MN GreenStep Resource Organization with many resources to help schools with assessment and procurement of energy efficiency and clean energy resources. They have experience supporting schools in Minnesota with energy efficiency and solar planning and can help schools connect to a network of professionals for further development. See the Certs guidance in categories of:

• Energy Assessment

• Selecting Renewable Energy Options

• Procurement

• Financing

• Bids and Contracts

• Community Engagement

• Educational Integration

• Electric School Buses 

• Research and Case Studies

Additional Resources on integrating energy efficiency and clean energy into curriculum or extracurricular activities

· Clean Energy Bright Futures, Resources for Teachers  

· USA, National Wildlife Federation, Energy and Climate Change Pathways to Sustainability, 2015

· Grid Alternatives, Solar Futures Toolkit

· Let’s Go Solar, Solar kits, camps, projects, and resources for kids, teens, parents, and teachers

· National Energy Education Development Project (NEED), Energy curricula, resources, events, and trainings for educators

· REcharge Labs, Solar Activity Ideas

· RREAL: Knowledge is Power

· U.S. Department of Energy, Online K-12 Learning Resources

· KidWind, WindWise

· NYSERDA, Resources for P-12 Schools