Skip to Content
U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Green Your School

Illustration of a school bus.

Schools around the country are finding ways to use energy as efficiently as possible, not only to set an example for their students and communities, but also to save on the bottom line. Given that energy costs are second only to salaries in terms of school budgets, many school leaders are investing in energy-efficiency technologies in their buildings and fuel-saving technologies in their buses.


Photograph of a school building.


A number of programs can help you improve the energy efficiency of your school buildings, campus, and buses. Here are a few links to help you get started.

Alliance to Save Energy: Green Schools Program
This program works with school districts level to assist schools in their efforts to be more energy efficient and simultaneously educate students through hands-on, real-world learning.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: School Buses
This link features a variety of information on the use of alternative fuels in school bus fleets.

ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guides for K-12 Schools
To promote building energy efficiency, ASHRAE and its partners are making the Advanced Energy Design Guides available for free download (PDF). The guides offer designers and contractors the tools needed for achieving 30% or 50% energy savings compared to buildings that meet the minimum requirements of Standard 90.1-1999 and Standard 90.1-2004.

Collaborative for High Performance Schools
This collaborative, which schools can join for free, provides a wide range of resources to help schools design, construct and operate 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.

ENERGY STAR® Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR program offers resources for K-12 school districts.

Green Ribbon Schools
The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools that save energy, reduce costs, feature environmentally sustainable learning spaces, protect health, foster wellness, and offer environmental education to boost academic achievement and community engagement.

High Performance School Design: Online Training
This site provides interactive courses free of charge to design and engineering professionals specializing in sustainable design for K-12 schools. High-performance school design integrates daylighting, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency to build a school that runs efficiently, saves money, protects natural resources, and provides superior visual, acoustical, and thermal comfort.

North Carolina Solar Center
The North Carolina Solar Center works with schools across the state to design and install photovoltaic systems on campus.

Featured Publications

FIND WHAT YOU NEEDED?