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They also help teachers and staff perform better. |
They can reduce operating expenses. |
Look at some interesting case studies to see how! |
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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) |
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According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, 50% of schools suffer from IAQ problems (EPA 1998). Singer et al. (1997) report: "... at least 19 percent of U.S. school districts reported unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory IAQ. Surveys have reported that at least 20 to 25 percent of schools have inadequate heating, ventilating and air conditioning ... a school that fails to take actions consistent with existing IAQ guidelines and standards runs the risk that it will be found liable for negligence. The risk is significant because, under negligence theory, a school board's liability is not limited to the costs of remedying the IAQ problem; the board also faces the threat of actual and punitive damages." |
A Scoping Study on the Costs of Indoor Air Quality Illnesses: An Insurance Loss Reduction Perspective, Allan Chen and Edward L. Vine LBNL 41919 |
Indoor air problems can have consequences such as:
- increasing acute and chronic health problems for students and staff; such as cough, eye irritation, headache, asthma episodes, allergic reactions, and possibly life-threatening conditions such as severe asthma attacks or carbon monoxide poisoning
- spreading airborne infectious disease
- reducing productivity and increasing discomfort, sickness and absenteeism for students and staff
- increasing the likelihood that the school or portion of the school will have to be closed and occupants relocated
- producing negative publicity which could damage the school's reputation and effectiveness presenting potential liability problems
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In an era of high education expectations but tight school budgets
solving IAQ problems can be challenging. |
Here's one solution: |
In the EPA' s recently published IAQ Tools for Schools guide it is stated that, "Good indoor air quality contributes to a favorable learning environment for students, productivity for teachers and staff, and a sense of comfort, health, and well-being. These elements combine to assist a school in its core mission -- educating children". |
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IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air quality at little or no cost using common-sense activities and in-house staff. The Kit provides simple-to-follow checklists, background information, sample memos and policies, and a recommended IAQ Management Plan. |
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What are High Performance Building Strategies? |
Case Studies show the following are some of the strategies that can make buildings healthy, comfortable and productive:
- daylighting
- properly commissioned and maintained HVAC systems
- narrow floor plans to optimize natural daylight
- high benefit lighting upgrades
- under floor air distribution and displacement ventilation
- occupant control of heat, light and air
- operable windows and mixed mode HVAC
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What Improvements Do They Provide? |
Case Studies show the following benefits of High Performance Building strategies:
- office productivity increases up to 16%
- absenteeism reductions to 40%
- increased market value up to 100%
- ROI up to 1000%
- up to 90% decreased energy costs
- up to 73% decreased O&M costs
- reduction in liability insurance and workers comp cases
- up to 40% increased retail sales
- up to 26% increased learning rates
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Here is why High Performance Building makes
good financial sense. |
Looking at annual operating expenses for commercial space, on a dollar per square foot basis, salaries are by far the largest item, followed by rent. Maintenance and energy costs are relatively insignificant. A one percent savings in salaries -- or a one percent productivity improvement -- of $2.00/s.f./year, exceeds either energy or maintenance costs. |
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This can also apply to educational facilities. |
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Indoor Air Quality Case Studies |
Elizabethtown College,
Pennsylvania | A 185-acre campus in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with 1,524 undergraduate students from 20 states and 17 foreign countries. Eighty-seven percent live on campus and 63% have on-campus jobs. |
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The primary technical solutions for campus improvements included major retrofits and replacement of mechanical equipment, improvements in comfort control, lighting system upgrades and modifications, a technical support program, and the installation of a building automation system. |
Benefits of the performance contract were:
- guaranteed savings of $267,000 per year. Total program savings to top $2.8 million in 10 years.
- improved comfort and satisfaction
- cut temperature-related complaint calls by 75%
- reduced deferred maintenance by 25%
- cut repair budget by 15%
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The students and faculty really notice it, said Larry Bekelja, Director of Plant Operations. We have all become totally engaged in the educational process to enhance the learning environment. As a result, we have many more students seeking the 'full college experience' here on campus. |
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Hastings Public School District,
Hastings, Nebraska | The Hastings Public School District serves almost 3,500 students in nine buildings totaling more than 500,000 square feet. Solutions implemented were a $2.1 million performance contract that included a lighting retrofit, installation of a Facility Management System (FMS) and other equipment improvements. |
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Benefits of the performance contract were: |
- significantly improved classroom comfort levels of temperature and indoor air quality
- implemented project without raising the tax levy, using existing funding options and monies saved from energy efficiencies
- reduced first year utility expenses by $168,399, exceeding projected savings by $80,634; these resources were reinvested in the education process
- achieved a 5 percent decrease in liability insurance
- experienced operational savings of $85,014
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Beyond Healthy Interior Environments,
can the Classroom Itself Improve the Quality of Education?
Consider these |
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Daylighting Case Studies |
A study by the Heschong Mahone Group for Pacific Gas and Electric, published August 20, 1999, analyzed test score results for over 21,000 students in three school districts in California, Washington and Colorado. |
Capistrano Unified School District,
Orange County, California |
- Classrooms with the most daylight had a 20% to 26% faster learning rate
- Classrooms with the most window area had a 15% to 23% faster learning rate
- Classrooms with diffusing skylights had a 19% to 20% faster rate
- Classrooms with non-diffusing skylights (causing patches of light and glare) had a 21%
decrease for reading tests and no significant results for math tests
- Classrooms with operable windows had 7% to 8% faster improvement compared to classrooms with fixed windows
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Seattle Public School District, Seattle, Washington |
- Students in classrooms with largest window area or the most daylight tested 9% to 15% higher than those with the least window area or daylighting
- Students in skylit classrooms tested 6% to 7% higher
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Poudre School District, Fort Collins, Colorado |
- Results showed a 7% improvement in test scores in classrooms with the most daylighting
- Results also showed a 14% to 18% improvement for students in classrooms with the largest window areas
- There was a 3% effect for classrooms with roof top monitors for math scores but with no significant effect on reading scores
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Daylit Schools
Johnson County, North Carolina |
Michael Nicklas and Gary B. Bailey of Innovative Design in Raleigh, North Carolina, prepared two papers, 'Energy Performance of Daylit Schools in North Carolina' and 'Analysis of the Performance of Students in Daylit Schools.' The following conclusions are taken from those studies. |  |
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All three schools are designed with overhead daylighting in all classroom and assembly spaces. They are more energy efficient than other County schools, as shown by the graph of 'Annual Energy Costs/s.f.' to the right, and as shown below in the table of Annual Energy Savings. |  |
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| | $/s.f./yr savings | school s.f. | annual savings |
Clayton Middle
Slema Middle
Four Oaks K-5 |
$0.28
$0.22
$.40 |
120,000
98,000
120,000 |
$ 33,600
$ 21,560
$ 48,000 |
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Table of Annual Energy Savings |
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Further, square foot construction costs for the three schools were actually lower than other County schools. The three, built between 1990-1992, had an average cost of $64.06 per square foot. Eleven other County schools, built between 1992-1995, had an average construction cost of $82.88 per square foot. |
Studies of improvement in student test scores indicated relative improvement of 10% to 17% for the three schools when compared to the County average improvement in test score, as shown in the chart below. |
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It is significant to note that another new, non-daylit school, constructed in the same time period, actually exhibited negative test score improvement compared to the County norm. |
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