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Design and Build

Energy-efficient schools use less energy, cost less to operate, use fewer natural resources, and impact the environment less than conventional buildings. The greatest opportunities for incorporating energy efficiency and sustainability into a building come in the design phase. During construction, there are additional opportunities to reduce the project's impact on the environment. Renovating an existing building rather than building a new one benefits the environment even more and does not require new infrastructure.

Designing, constructing, or renovating an energy-efficient school requires a "whole-building" approach. This approach differs from the traditional design/build process, as the design team examines the integration of all building components and systems and determines how they best work together to save energy and reduce environmental impact. A project team with energy-efficiency experience can ensure that the right decisions are made from the beginning of the process.

Refer to Whole Building Design for an overview of the process, or read more about specific elements of the Design and Build process:

• EnergySmart Design Elements
• The Project Design Team
• Hiring an Architect
• Choosing a Design Team
• Design Guides

EnergySmart Schools Design Elements

• Daylighting is simply the use of natural light in a building to reduce electric lighting loads.

• The best HVAC design considers all the interrelated building systems while addressing indoor air quality, energy consumption, and environmental benefit. Energy-efficient designs often need smaller HVAC systems.

• Photovoltaic cells or panels are almost maintenance-free, produce no pollution, and can make use of free solar energy. Overall, the longevity, simplicity, and minimal resources used to produce electricity via PV systems make this a highly sustainable technology. For more information about solar power, visit the Department of Energy's solar page.

• The building envelope is a major factor in determining a building's energy use. The components that make up a building envelope include: windows, insulation, the foundations, walls and roofing. Innovative building envelope technologies available today make buildings more efficient, durable, comfortable, and adaptable than ever.

• By using water conservation fixtures, implementing graywater or rainwater catchment systems, and using xeriscape practices, schools can easily reduce their municipal water consumption by 25%–75%. By saving half of the 1 million to 3 million gallons that each of the 90,000 public schools consume every year, more than 200 million gallons of treated water could be saved each day in the United States.

• Renewable energy systems can contribute to reduced energy costs and reduced air pollution, while demonstrating 21st century technology to students. The cost of renewable energy systems has dropped dramatically. The Department of Energy has information about geothermal energy and wind power, as well as photovoltaics.