In the New England region, where temperatures range from below 0 to over 100 degrees, heating and cooling can present a major opportunity to improve sustainability statistics of a campus. Overt changes such as improving windows come to mind, but recent advancements in boiler technology and strategies for working with the heat of the sun and the…

Energy modeling can be a powerful tool for managing energy-reduction concepts for an institution. Different types of energy models are developed at various stages of a project to provide data that can verify or disprove suggested energy-efficiency measures. Education institutions should understand what an energy model can do and, more important,…

The U.S. Department of Energy's Rebuild America EnergySmart Schools program provides school boards, administrators, and design staff with guidance to help make informed decisions about energy and environmental issues important to school systems and communities. "The National Best Practices Manual for Building High Performance Schools" is a part of…

EMPLOYMENT OF AN ARCHITECT WHO WILL DRAW UP PLANS AND SUBMIT PRELIMINARY SKETCHES IS THE FIRST STEP IN THE BIDDING PROCEDURE. THE ARCHITECT USUALLY WORKS WITH A CONSULTING ENGINEER. AFTER APPROVAL OF PRELIMINARY PLANS, THE ENGINEER WILL ESTABLISH SPECIFICATIONS FOR MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT AND DRAW PLANS ACCORDINGLY WHEN THIS PHASE IS COMPLETED THE…

A total energy system is a means for providing all of the varied energy requirements for a total plant from a single fuel source. This report evaluates some of the factors which are related to the development and use of total energy systems. The factors include--(1) initial and ultimate size of plant, (2) type and source of fuel, (3)…