Net-Zero Energy Schools in Florida?

Last post I talked about the pursuit of net-zero energy buildings in Florida, with an increasing interest in striving to achieve this difficult goal. One such building type that would be an ideal fit for net-zero energy in Florida are school buildings. In 2008 Governor Charlie Christ passed an executive order in the state of Florida requiring all renovation and new construction of public buildings to seek green building certification under LEED, Green Globes, or the Florida Green Building Coalition standards. Included in these set of public buildings is public schools buildings. With school buildings in Florida already required to achieve green building certification, striving for net-zero energy would represent the next step in the green building movement in Florida.

An ideal building type to take advantage of the increase in net-zero energy buildings is K-12 school buildings. School buildings use proportionally smaller energy than other large building types. Schools use approximately 33% of the energy per square foot as hospitals and 51% of the energy per square foot as office buildings. In addition, schools receive less usage during summer months, when energy demand is the highest for cooling loads. Similarly schools are seldom used during the weekends and holidays, further reducing the energy demands for the building. The normal hours of operation for schools also coincides with optimal daylighting conditions, reducing energy loads required for lighting. Schools also have large roof to floor area ratios and larger open building sites, ideal for solar energy production which is vital for net-zero energy buildings.

School buildings have long been targets for the green building movement, with schools nationwide receiving green building certification. Green buildings in schools have shown to improve the wellbeing and performance of students and teachers. For example, a 2001 study of 21,000 students in California showed that students with the most natural light in school scored 26% higher on reading standardized tests and 20% higher on math. An industry wide survey conducted by Turner Construction revealed that green facilities for K-12 schools had numerous perceived benefits over traditional schools, including: increased community image, ability to attract and retain teachers, reduction of student absenteeism, and increase in student performance. The benefits of green buildings for schools have been shown, making the school building market more receptive to the concept of net-zero energy buildings.

Despite the numerous benefits provided by green buildings within schools, many school districts have been reluctant to make the transition. The largest obstacle for green school buildings is the perceived higher cost of the building and an emphasis by school districts to focus on initial cost versus life cycle cost. Green school buildings have been shown through life cycle cost assessments to be less expensive through decreased operational costs over the life of the building. However, many school districts have put an emphasis on green design in new buildings. Gainesville is one such area, with Meadowbrook Elementary School opening in August 2012 and achieving Green Globes certification. Net-zero energy is certainly possibly for Florida school buildings especially in areas placing an emphasis on sustainable construction.