The document discusses developing a regional high performance schools protocol for the Northeast. It proposes a protocol that promotes energy efficient and sustainable school buildings while allowing flexibility for each state's needs. Key elements include requirements for daylighting, lighting, ventilation, air sealing, HVAC design and commissioning. States could comply individually or through a regional review process. The goal is to better align high performance school programs with state energy efficiency programs.

1. Main Headquarters: 120 Water Street, Suite 350, North Andover, MA 01845 With offices in: NY, ME, TX, CA, OR www.ers-inc.com
DEVELOPING A HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS PROTOCOL FOR
INTEGRATION IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS IN THE
NORTHEAST
Lead Author:
Brian McCowan
Co-Authors: Gary
Epstein (ERS) Don
Fudge (NEEP)
presented by
Brian McCowan
ENERGY & RESOURCE
SOLUTIONS
ACEEE Summer Study
on Energy Efficiency in
Buildings

2. WHAT IS
Northeast High Performance Schools
Exchange
 Established in 2003
 Managed by Northeast Energy Efficiency
Partnerships (NEEP)
 Participants Include All of the New
England States & NY, NJ, PA
 Goal - Majority of New and Renovated
Schools to Implement High Performance
Design, Construction and Operation by
2010
 Develop and Maintain a Regional High
Performance School Protocol that Promotes
Excellent Learning Environments that are
Energy Efficient, Cost-Effective and Utilize
Sustainable Technologies

3. NORTHEAST REGIONAL HIGH
PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS PROTOCOL
Task:
Develop and Maintain a Regional High
Performance School Protocol that
Promotes Excellent Learning
Environments that are Energy Efficient,
Cost-Effective and Utilize Sustainable
Technologies
Funding:
Henry P. Kendall Foundation
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Ratepayer-funded energy efficiency
programs in Connecticut, Vermont,
Maine, Massachusetts and New York.

4. IS A REGIONAL PROTOCOL
NEEDED?
Five States in the Northeast have Officially Adopted a
Voluntary (Funding Incentives) or Mandatory High
Performance Schools Program
The Following Documents Are Variously Used For
Compliance
Collaborative for High Performance Schools CHPS
ASHRAE Standards 90.1 & 62
State Energy Code
LEED
Advanced Buildings Guidelines Benchmark
School Administrators and the Design Community Desire
Some Consistency

5. IS THIS CHPS FOR THE NORTHEAST?
Maybe

6. COMMON REQUESTS FROM EXCHANGE MEMBERS
Establish a Protocol That:
 Is Flexible and Can be Applied to Fit Specific States’ Needs
 Is Cost Effective
 Places the Primary Emphasis on Educational Performance (Lighting,
Indoor Air Quality, Thermal Comfort, etc.)
 Promotes Energy Efficiency in a Way That Compliments Energy
Efficiency Programs in the Participant State
 Maintains Societal Environmental Standards as Primarily Voluntary
Credits (Attract School Administrators)
 Emphasizes High Performance School Policies That Must Be
Maintained

7. CONCERNS FROM EXCHANGE MEMBERS
 “Things are Different Here in fill in your
state here”
 Winter Heating Climate
 Much of the Northeast is Rural
 LEED and CHPS Seem to Give Equal
Weight to Environmental Issues,
Educational Performance and Energy
Issues
 LEED and CHPS Energy Efficiency
Sections Viewed as too Lenient and
Difficult to Quantify and Enforce

8. HPS SCHOOLS PROGRAMS AND ENERGY
EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS
Each State Maintains SBC Funded Energy Efficiency Programs and
Tax/Grant Funded HPS Schools Program
The Energy Criteria For Efficiency Program Incentives Differs From The
Energy Criteria For High Performance Schools Programs in Each of The
Participating States
HUH?

9. KEY PROTOCOL PROVISIONS
Required PO PR.1 The school district must create a high performance design advisory committee to oversee
the implementation of an integrated design approach and ensure that the high performance
standards and the overall goals of the protocol are met.
Policy & Operations
Required PO PR.4 A school maintenance plan must be implemented that includes an inventory of all
energy using equipment in the new or renovated school and its preventive maintenance
needs.
Required PO PR.5 Pass a resolution that requires that all newly purchased equipment and appliances to be
used in the school be ENERGY STAR® -compliant.
Required PO PR.6 Adopt a no idling policy that applies to all school buses used to transport the students
of the school. The policy must include the following minimum provisions…
1 Credit PO EC.2.1 Commit for a period of two years to purchasing, at either the municipal or school
district level, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or clean renewable electricity for the
equivalent of at least 25% of the school’s projected annual electricity needs.
2 Credits PO EC 2.2 Commit for a period of two years to purchasing, at either the municipal or school
district level, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or clean renewable electricity for the
equivalent of at least 50% of the school’s projected annual electricity needs.

10. KEY PROTOCOL PROVISIONS
Indoor Environmental Quality
Required IEQ P 1. Provide direct line of sight to view glazing in 70% of classrooms and
administration areas.
Required IEQ P 2. Natural Light (Daylighting) in Classrooms: Design to achieve a 2% minimum
daylight factor of uniformly distributed natural light on the floor area in 75% of the
classrooms.
Required IEQ P 3. Install electric lighting system to enhance occupants’ visual performance with
pendant or ceiling mounted high performance lighting fixtures. The lighting fixtures must
incorporate High Performance “Super” T8 or T5 technology and include glare control
features.
Required IEQ P 5. Meet the minimum ventilation rate requirements of ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004,
Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality.

11. KEY PROTOCOL PROVISIONS
Energy Efficiency
Required EE P 1A. Meet all the criteria of Benchmark™ that is designated within the document
as “required,” and comply with all the relevant “acceptance criteria” listed in
Appendix A of the Benchmark™.
OR
Required
Alternate
EE P 1B. Demonstrate performance better than ASHRAE 90.1 2001 by a minimum of
25% in accordance with the prescriptive approach and criteria outlined in the code
document.
OR
Required
Alternate
EE P 1C. Demonstrate performance better than ASHRAE 90.1 2001 by a minimum
of 25% in accordance with the “whole building” approach, modeling the project
with an approved DOE-2 Based Software Tool

12. KEY PROTOCOL PROVISIONS
Energy Efficiency, cont.
Required EE P 2. Control Air Leakage: Install a continuous air barrier and employ air sealing
best practices to control air leakage
Required EE P 3. “Rightsize” HVAC Systems: Employ best practice HVAC design techniques
to improve system performance and meet ASHRAE Standard 55.
Required EE P 4. Systems Commissioning: Commission all energy using systems.
Required EE P 5. Operation and Maintenance Training: Provide effective and complete
training and documentation on the operation and maintenance of the building
systems identified in the commissioning report.
Required EE P 6. Secure Incentives and Rebates to Reduce Cost: Participate in energy
efficiency incentive and technical assistance programs that are available through
applicable utility and governmental programs.

13. PROTOCOL COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION
OPTIONS
Individual State Compliance
 Each State Maintains a Compliance Process
 Final Decision on Prerequisite/Credit Mix
 Prerequisite Variance Methodology
 Establish Project Review Team
Regional Compliance
 States and Continuing Grants Fund a Regional Review &
Compliance Effort
 Each State May Customize Prerequisite/Credit Mix (Limited)
 Documentation Review Completed by Regional Team

14. CONCLUSIONS
High performance buildings/schools programs and ratepayer funded
efficiency programs share many common goals
But – They do Not Share Common Methodologies or Requirements
A Regional Protocol with State-by-State Flexibility Allows Efficiency
Program Administrators and School Administrators to Work Toward
Common Goals