New York Schools Are Going Green

Investing in Cleaner, Healthier Learning Environments

School is a formative time for students, from early childhood to graduation. Among all the factors contributing to student success, creating a healthier school environment with clean energy technologies is often overlooked.

Yet, clean energy upgrades to school facilities can help improve indoor air quality with enhanced ventilation and boost comfort with greater temperature control. Not only do these conditions translate to better student health and academic performance, energy efficiency gains and clean energy technologies can help cut schools’ energy use. These long-term energy savings can be reallocated to capital improvements or other school budget priorities.

Nearly 2.5 million students are enrolled in K-12 public schools in New York State ^[1]. Here’s how one school district in upstate New York is reducing their emissions and energy use to promote a more sustainable future.

Best-in-Class Energy Management

In 2023, Canajoharie Central School District (CSD) hired an energy manager, Fran D’Ambrosio, with funding through NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative. Since then, the district of approximately 900 students in Montgomery County has made significant strides in reducing its building energy consumption and developing an energy management plan to incorporate clean energy technologies like heat pumps, onsite solar panels, and electric school buses.

Starting with an energy baseline was key to Canajoharie CSD’s future energy savings. After starting as the energy manager, Fran noticed the district wasn’t achieving the estimated savings from an earlier energy performance contract that focused on low-hanging fruit: LED lighting, pipe and valve insulation, and building controls. “Having a dedicated energy manager provided focused and detailed oversight of the facilities’ ongoing energy use,” says Fran, adding that school staff are stretched thin with other day-to-day responsibilities.

Benchmarking the energy use across the district’s three academic buildings, athletic center, and transportation facility, allowed Canajoharie CSD to compare performance between buildings to detect inefficiencies and moving forward to assess the impact of future efficiency improvements.

With this information, Fran looked at ways to automate energy savings, such as adjusting set points and occupancy settings, as well as adding plug load controllers to switch off electronics after school hours. Just one year in, the district saw an 8.7% reduction in energy expenditures. Furthermore, Fran implemented a preventative maintenance program to inventory energy-consuming equipment and utilize a work order system to manage and track inspections and repairs with the goal of avoiding costly equipment failure.

To further their energy conservation efforts, Canajoharie CSD formed a cross-functional energy team, tasked with developing and implementing an energy management plan for the district. This team includes the district’s superintendent, facilities director, curriculum director, principals, a bus driver, teachers, and other support staff.

Fran notes that the energy manager is the cornerstone for relaying information and getting feedback from all the members and school community. “I have a daily presence in the school to hear suggestions, concerns, and comments of what to fix. Everybody has something to offer in terms of flagging issues and inefficiencies,” says Fran.

The energy team is actively working to advance the clean energy goals laid out in the energy management plan. This includes an assessment and design study for a geothermal heat pump system in the elementary and middle school facility to address poor performance revealed by the district’s energy benchmarking. “It’s become very evident that we need to add air-conditioning, as window units are inefficient and we have to move students throughout the building to deal with heat in warmer months,” adds Fran.

Canajoharie CSD is in the process of contracting a 700-kilowatt solar array that’s expected to offset around 84% of the district’s electricity consumption.

The district is actively preparing for its first electric school bus, which is expected to arrive in 2025. The zero-emission bus was fully funded through grants and incentives, including the NY School Bus Incentive Program (NYSBIP). Funding through NYSBIP can also help cover the cost of bus charging infrastructure, and Canajoharie is planning to apply once their Fleet Electrification Plan is completed.

With their first electric bus, Canajoharie is planning to test drive it on multiple routes to get their drivers, mechanics, and students familiar with the new technology before scaling their EV bus fleet. “Starting with the shortest bus routes and progressing to longer routes will help us evaluate the vehicle range and collect bus driver feedback,” notes Fran.

Preparing the Next Generation of Clean Energy Champions

Canajoharie CSD was one of 13 honorees to receive Efficient and Healthy Schools Recognition from The U.S. Department of Energy for 2023-2024. More specifically, the district was recognized as a “Best in Class Solutions Strategist” for its energy management plan, which includes well-planned and replicable building energy efficiency improvements and student education opportunities.

Besides the school’s infrastructure, Canajoharie CSD is infusing energy education into the school curriculum across all grade levels.

At the elementary school, Fran engages students in the basics of energy conservation. To reinforce good habits, Fran brings along “switch buddy ” an interactive machine with 24 light switches that students are responsible for turning off before leaving the classroom. Each student is greeted by name and congratulated for turning off their designated light switch.

Middle school students get deeper into the science and real-world applications of energy. This includes hands-on experiments, such as temperature testing different light bulb types to assess their efficiency. “Understanding that we want light, rather than heat, the students instantly realize what energy efficiency means,” says Fran. Students also visited the NY Energy Zone in Utica on a field trip to learn about the history and future of electricity in New York State.

At the high school, understanding renewable energy systems and energy-related career opportunities are a central focus. This includes visits to SUNY Morrisville, which has two- and four-year renewable energy degree programs, and the Fenner Renewable Energy Education Center for a real-world look at clean energy jobs.

Redesigning Schools With Efficiency in Mind

P-12 schools across New York State can get support with their energy management and planning.

Under-resourced schools or districts located in disadvantaged communities can receive funding through the Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) Program to complete an energy study to identify and evaluate energy-saving opportunities and clean energy in their facilities, or develop a school bus fleet electrification plan. Other school districts can access up to 75% cost-share funding for an energy study.

To prepare district staff for managing modern building systems and renewable energy projects, districts can participate in building operations and maintenance staff trainings.

A Breath of Fresh Air for Students, Staff, and Communities

Efforts are underway to transition New York’s school bus fleet to 100% zero-emission operations by 2035. Switching from diesel buses to electric buses will reduce student and community exposure to pollutants linked to asthma and respiratory illnesses.

Gates-Chili Central School District bus driver, Chuck Vorndran, emphasizes that the quieter electric engine improves bus safety, too. “It’s so nice to be able to hear children on the bus if there’s an emergency that I need to act on quickly,” says Chuck. Due to lower maintenance and fuel costs of electric buses, Gates-Chili CSD will recoup on their investment in student health and clean energy.

School districts can get help preparing a fleet electrification plan to better understand their needs before purchasing or leasing their first electric school bus. Completing a fleet electrification plan also delivers an additional $30,000 on top of the school bus voucher incentives a district receives for each purchase of an eligible electric school bus.

Footnotes

1. Nysed Data Site. data.nysed.gov. (n.d.). https://data.nysed.gov/ Back to content