LibGuides: Energy Efficient Schools Topic Hub: Barriers to Change

Barriers to Change

This section discusses factors that may impede implementation of energy design modifications at schools. Factors that may impede the implementation of energy efficient designs and strategies may include:

Allocation of budgetary resources required for obtaining new energy efficient equipment, either as a retrofit or in a new school,
Lack of an energy policy for schools and sufficient time to draft and adopt an energy efficient policy,
Lack of awareness of the simple steps that can amount to big differences and savings.
Lack of support at the decision-making (district or state) level for implementation and funding an energy efficient program,
Not understanding legislative requirements or compliance directives from the state or district,
Inadequate internal support and commitment for maintenance of newer technology,
Lack of resources to fund teacher training for new curricula or for obtaining educational materials.

Readily available resources can help with overcoming the common barriers to implementation of Energy Efficient Schools. Some examples are included in the table below. Additional resources are listed in the Essential Links box on the left side of the page.

Barrier to Change	Ways to Address the Barrier	Resources
Budgetary limitations	Investment costs provide future financial savings. Operating budget can be a potential source of revenue to pay for energy efficiency upgrades.	Myths About Energy In Schools Money for Your Energy Upgrades--An Introduction to Financing Energy Efficiency Upgrades in the Public Sector
Time necessary to draft and adopt an energy efficient policy	An energy efficiency policy developed through a cooperative effort of staff (administration, teachers, support, and facilities managers) can address key areas of energy use and strategies for reducing energy consumption.	Watt Watchers Energy Policy
Green building is perceived as energy efficient.	The measurement of energy efficiency must be a whole building measurement, not building component based.	Portfolio Manager for Existing Buildings Target Finder for New Design
Inadequate support by decision-makers (district or state) for implementation of energy efficient programs in schools.	High energy costs are encouraging all states and their school districts to examine energy efficiency legislation. School energy policies and programs are being adopted across the country and are continually improving.	School Construction Law Energy Efficient School Construction Act 2007 (Illinois)
Lack of awareness of simple steps that can amount to big savings	Energy audit tools can help schools and staff identify areas of energy waste.	Energy Ideas and Audits
Lack of internal support and commitment for maintenance of newer technology.	New technology can seem intimidating and it often seems more cost effective to remain with the more familiar equipment.	School Operations and Maintenance: Best Practices for Controlling Energy Costs
Lack of resources to fund teacher training for new curricula or for obtaining educational materials	There is an overwhelming amount of energy education material available and it becomes difficult for educators to assess what is most appropriate for classroom use. Identifying the best resources will simplify the necessary training.	National Energy Education Development Program Energy Efficent Schools and Students Curricula

Essential Links

Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits [PDF]
Written by Gregory Kats, this report is intended to answer this fundamental question: how much more do green schools cost, and is greening schools cost effective? This report documents the financial costs and benefits of green schools compared to conventional schools. This national review of 30 green schools demonstrates that green schools cost less than 2% more than conventional schools - or about $3 per square foot ($3/ft2) - but provide financial benefits that are 20 times as large...
Managing the Cost of Green Buildings: K-12 Public Schools; Research Laboratories; Public Libraries; Multi-family Affordable Housing
This report describes how to control the costs of green building projects by summarizing the research done on that topic for the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA), the California State and Consumer Services Agency (SCSA), California's Sustainable Building Task Force, and the California Department of General Services (DGS). (PDF Format; Length: 88 pages)
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
Created in 1997 by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) provides information on planning, designing, funding, building, improving, and maintaining safe, healthy, high performance schools. The NCEF site provides extensive resource lists on various topics, which are grouped into the following broad categories: Preplanning, Planning, Design, School Spaces, School Grounds, Case Studies, Safe Schools, Healthy Schools, High Performance Schools
School Operations and Maintenance: Best Practices for Controlling Energy Costs [PDF]
Prepared by Princeton Energy Resource International, HPowell Energy Associates and the Alliance to Save Energy, this guidebook is designed for K-12 school system business officials and facilities managers. It is designed to meet the specific needs of school district staff for integrating energy efficiency into school building operation and maintenance by not only providing technical information, but also organizational information on barriers, challenges, and the necessary steps required to...