K-12 Schools: Grade "A" Savings for Going Green

A recent study shows that the net financial benefit of building a green K-12 school can be as much as $71 per square foot (see chart to the right) when compared with a school designed just to meet code.

"Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits," produced by Gregory Kats, managing principal of Capital E and former director of financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy in the U.S. Department of Energy, is the result of an examination of 30 green K-12 schools located all over the country. According to the report, "conservative and prudent financial assumptions" were used to analyze the cost benefits of building sustainably.

The report states that the national average school construction is $150 per square foot. Building green adds an average of 1.7 percent to first costs, or about $3 per square foot.

Other significant findings of the study detailed in the report include:

* Green schools in this study used an average of 33 percent less energy than conventional schools.

* Greening America's schools could lead to a reduction of 585,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, and significant reductions of other greenhouse gases.

* The 30 green schools in the study used 32 percent less water than conventional schools.

* Seventy-five percent of senior executives believe that a green school improves the ability to attract and retain teachers.

In addition to illustrating the costs and benefits of the schools particular to this study, the report draws on several other green schoolrelated studies and incorporates that information as well. The report concludes that building green schools is "more fiscally prudent and lower risk than continuing to build unhealthy, inefficient schools."

To download the report for free, visit www.cap-e.com, and click on "Greening America's Schools."

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