Public School Facilities and Energy

The National Council on School Facilities (NCSF), the 21st Century School Fund (21CSF), and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office worked on strengthening the collaboration between State Education Agencies and State Energy Offices to improve the condition and operational energy efficiency of K-12 public school facilities.

A state collaboration between these two state agencies can benefit local districts by advancing the quality of public school facilities, with a focus on the energy efficiency, and energy-related occupant health, and economic and environmental sustainability of public-school facilities. To learn more about State Energy Offices and where the office is housed in your state, please visit the NASEO website. You can find the name of the State Energy Office in your state here.

Learn more about the U.S. DOE Building Technologies Office’s Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign below and also explore resources, tools and best practices to help state K-12 agencies and local school districts in advancing efficient and healthy school facility environments.   

Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign Resources for State K-12 Agencies and School Districts

“The Efficient and Healthy Schools campaign is an interagency effort between U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Education that provides recognition and technical assistance to school districts seeking to implement high-impact indoor air quality and efficiency improvements that will reduce energy bills and improve student and teacher health.”

• Learn more and join the Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign.

• Learn about funding opportunities

• Explore competitions, challenges and industry prizes.

• Resources & activities for STEM and education

School Efficiency Enhancement Guides

“If your school is looking to replace a chiller, boiler, rooftop unit, or building controls, DOE recommends consulting the newly released school efficiency enhancement guides from DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. ” Find the guide here.

U.S. Department of Energy – Energy-Efficiency Retrofits and Renewable Energy Integration in Schools

The U.S. Department of Energy provides links to helpful Better Buildings Resources on energy-efficiency measures (EEMs) and renewable energy for school buildings. Learn more.

U.S. Department of Energy – Prioritizing Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Explore resources and information on providing good indoor air quality (IAQ) in school buildings. Topics include: HVAC Design and Implementation, HVAC Commissioning, Indoor Air Quality Monitoring, HVAC Retrofit, and additional HVAC and IAQ Resources.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Energy Star Program for K-12 Buildings

The EPA Energy Star K-12 program webpage has resources to help you learn how to assess your K-12 building’s energy efficiency, find financing, save energy, and earn recognition.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Creating Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Schools

Explore resources that promote a healthy learning environment at schools such as the IAQ Tools for Schools.

Other Organization’s Energy and Healthy Schools Resources