Wondering the best ways to retrofit your community's school infrastructure?

If so, there are many publically available resources with information about current best practices and retrofit ideas.

Start by visiting the US Department of Energy which has created a guide to operating and maintaining energy efficient schools through a program called EnergySmart Schools. The resources that the DOE has put together for this program are available on the EnergySmart website and include documents that outline the best practices in terms of operating and maintaining energy efficiency schools.

Another source for inspiration is the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)  as the organization was created to facilitate the design, construction and operation of high performance schools - environments that are not only energy and resource efficient, but also healthy, comfortable, well lit, and containing the amenities for a quality education. Information about CHPS can be found at http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/node/133. CHPS is determined to rethink how schools are designed and operated to ensure that students get the most of their education and to promote schools that increase resource and energy efficiency and reduce peak loads.

CHPS has created several very useful resources including a best practices manual, which helps schools, districts and practitioners achieve high performance design and operations, and various other assessment tools and technical resources. All CHPS material is accessible on the CHPS website.

By focusing on efficient building operations, schools and therefore local governments can reduce their operating expenses significantly while improving quality education. One example of a particularly successful program comes out of the Cranston Public School system in Rhode Island. In September 2006, the Cranston School System developed and implemented an energy compliance standard. Since then, the City has saved over $2.5 million in utility expenses and reinvested the savings into other educational needs.

Many of the tactics employed to increase energy efficiency in schools are applicable to other public buildings. However, the task of assessing and retrofitting every building within a local government’s boarders is sometimes daunting. By starting with school buildings, a government can develop a level of familiarity with energy efficiency while also receiving support from the broader community of energy efficiency resources for schools, including, DOE’s EnergySmart program, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools and various other organizations.