Which energy saving technologies are most cost effective for existing educational facilities

Who can't remember sitting in a classroom during the winter with windows opened to alleviate the stifling heat being cranked out by uncontrolled heating units, or roasting at your desk in the afternoon sun, and the daily ritual of closing blinds to eliminate glare? Each of these conditions contributed to an unhealthy, uncomfortable, and unproductive learning environment, and each represented a design flaw. The first condition is easily recognized as wasteful, while the latter two demonstrate an indifference to the sun's power. But the bottom line was, it just wasn't cost effective to build or maintain these facilities to eliminate these problems when the associated expenses had to be justified within an annual budget. Thankfully, now that the masses have become educated about "green" technologies, facilities managers find themselves in a position where they can look past annual budget constraints to the "long-term" savings and cost effectiveness to be reaped from environmentally sensitive design concepts which reduce reliance upon fossil fuels, harness the sun's energy, conserve water and other natural resources, pay for themselves, and as a bonus provide more comfortable and productive learning/working environments. In other words, long range planning and "cost effectiveness" have been married making virtually any conservation measure viable. The days of designing, constructing, and maintaining educational buildings to minimize their carbon footprint have finally arrived. With heating and cooling systems accounting for approximately 50% of energy costs and approximately 20% attributable to lighting, dollar for dollar, these are the best places facilities managers can invest their budget. An efficient envelope maintains building conditioning, while the best equipment in the world can't maintain comfort levels within ineffective enclosures. Windows should be the primary target because schools have so many of them. Install double glazed units with low-e coatings and tinted glass, and fit them with sun-shades. Better yet study the path of the sun, an easy task with today's computer technology, then size and position windows to allow penetration of natural light while eliminating glare and uncontrolled solar heat gain. Next, target the roof, when it is time to replace the system the cost of beefing-up insulation is minimal and will easily pay for itself over a short period. Of course replacing a roof which is in good condition for the sake of adding insulation would be hard to justify. Exterior doors are often overlooked, but replacing these with insulating and weather-stripped units can greatly enhance comfort levels within facilities through the reduction of drafts. Only after the building envelope is tight will it ever be "cost effective" to add state-of-the-art equipment, and then all the high-tech equipment will be able to function effectively. Finally, lighting efficiency can be addressed from several fronts including high efficiency lamps providing better light and lower heat output, daylighting controls to automatically dim fixtures in areas where natural light is providing sufficient light levels, and finally the extremely simple concept of motion sensors to turn lights off within unoccupied spaces. The list of energy saving technologies is long, but these are the places to start conservation efforts. Daniel Meehan, AIA, LEED AP is an architectural studio director with H2M, Parsippany, N.J. and Melville, N.Y.