EnergySmart Schools: Facilities Managers

School facility managers are the linchpin to real energy savings over time, because they ensure that energy-efficient systems and equipment are operated and maintained properly to perform at peak efficiency.

The average age of a U.S. school building is 42 years. These aging facilities devour energy, yet in many districts operations and maintenance needs are overshadowed by pressures to expand or changing educational requirements.  Competition for resources is fierce.  Still, facility managers are expected to deliver increased services with constrained operating budgets in an era of ever-increasing energy costs.

Districts building new schools have an opportunity to incorporate energy-saving strategies right from the start, in the design phase.  Input from operations and maintenance personnel can help the design team shape a functional school design and ensure the long-term success of the energy efficiency measures.  With the right planning, an energy-efficient school should cost no more than a conventionally built one and will pay for itself in substantially lower operational costs.  However, gaining the maximum savings from a well-designed, high-performance school depends on practicing proper operating and maintenance methods.