Are there benefits to expect from zero net energy investments in schools beyond energy, operational and environmental savings? Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the New Buildings Institute review educational benefits in a new post:
“…Consider that each year K–12 schools spend more than $8 billion on energy—more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined. Too commonly overlooked is the opportunity to cost-effectively improve our nation’s schools and enhance student performance by tackling the performance of the very buildings in which children, faculty, and staff spend more than eight hours each day.”
“The majority of school facilities fail to meet even basic occupant needs, and fall short on meeting the evolving education demands for a 21st century economy. RMI and New Buildings Institute (NBI) believe schools are a prime market for neft-zero energy design and operation, in both new construction and deep energy retrofit projects of existing building. Early examples and analysis show that net-zero schools are more beneficial to districts, occupants, and the environment.”
Why invest in zero net energy schools? Read more of the above on the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)’s website here.