Energy efficiency at school

The most cost-effective time to improve energy performance is at the design stage of a new building. Your school board should consider energy efficiency in any building project, including an upgrade.

Look at the entire life cycle of products and building systems. You can then make decisions on which heating and cooling systems to use in terms of their whole-of-life cost. Whole-of-life considers the costs and benefits of getting the best performance, reliability and safety over the life of an asset.

The best value for money might be in a high-performance building ‘envelope’. In this way, energy efficiency will be incorporated into every aspect of the building design. The aim is to reduce the need for heating and cooling as much as possible.

When deciding whether to replace or upgrade an asset, you should weigh up the immediate costs against the long-term sustainability and savings.

A cheaper option might save money in the short term, but a more efficient option might result in bigger savings over time through lower running costs and long-term sustainability.

For example, you might decide: 

• not to spend any of your 5 Year Agreement funding to join a mains water system, but mains connection would cost less than the long-term costs of servicing a septic tank 
• not to install a solar water heater due to the upfront cost, but solar might be cheaper to run than electricity.

Many schools with boilers and central heating use coal as it’s a relatively cheap energy source. However, due to tough local emission standards and concerns about pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, many schools are considering replacing or decommissioning their coal boilers.

Switching to renewable wood energy may be a cost-effective alternative to coal. Although the cost can vary by region, wood fuel has lower ongoing energy costs than natural gas or electricity. Most coal boilers can be converted to burn wood fuel instead.

Energy or building management systems are information technology (IT) systems and software that can completely automate a building’s energy use. They:

• switch power on and off to different appliances and areas of a building as needed
• work with heating, lighting, IT and other energy uses.

There are several systems that are suitable for schools. The upfront costs are quite high, but they can cut energy costs significantly. An energy manager or auditor can advise you on how long it would take to recoup your capital costs through energy savings.