Ask an Engineering Expert: How Do You Design For Energy Efficiency in Schools?

When designing K-12 education projects, it’s important to keep the different primary audiences in mind: the students, teachers, administrators, and facility staff. Each space has its own specific requirements; for instance, a third-grade classroom and a high school chemistry lab will have their own distinct priorities.

RTM designs mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection services for a wide range of public and private schools, and a common concern is energy efficiency. Schools want to design spaces to minimize their energy consumption and maximize their budgets.

The Center for Academic Achievement is a 140,000-square-foot, newly constructed facility within the Shawnee Mission School District. It includes a mix of student space and administrative staff space with a mission to support collaboration and a healthy sustainable atmosphere. Throughout the design process, the importance of future flexibility was top of mind as the needs of the facility will likely vary over time. Photo courtesy of ACI Boland Architects[/caption]

Metering systems are able to isolate different types of loads, based on function. For example, kitchen, mechanical, lighting, and general power loads can have separate metering to allow for accurate analysis. In one example, isolating different load systems helped a school determine when mechanical equipment was powering up outside of occupied hours and change the scheduling to operate only when needed.

This article originally appeared on RTM Associates website. RTM Associates is a CFE Media content partner. 

Original content can be found at www.rtmassociates.com.

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