The Corvallis School District has eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools serving 6850 students. A new 125,000-square-foot middle school is scheduled to open in August 2004, and a new 230,000-square-foot high school in September 2006. The new schools will serve 552 students in the middle school and 1306 students in the high school. The school board, with the help of the district’s Energy Education Coordinator, decided that energy efficiency would be a priority for the two new schools (Corvallis School District 2004). In 1999, the district partnered with an energy consultant, Energy Education, Inc., to identify and implement energy savings projects. By focusing on reducing energy use during off-peak hours and encouraging behavioral changes, such as turning off lights and computers when not in use, the district has saved $1.5 million from 1999 to 2004. A reimbursement from the local utility, Pacific Power, of $ 5,200 funded a lighting upgrade for the Corvallis High School cafeteria. A Consumer’s Power rebate and Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) of $24,000 funded the Crescent Valley High School gymnasium lighting retrofit (Mingo 2004). Other projects have included installing T-8 lighting; digitally controlled heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment; and energy-efficient boilers. Teachers provided significant input on the design of the new schools, and both teachers and students have requested energy data for use in classrooms. The Oregon State Energy Office provided recommendations on community education and outreach to the administrative staff in the Corvallis School District (Wright 2004).
Because the schools have had significant energy and monetary savings, the community has been supportive of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the two new schools. In the 2004 Report to the Superintendent (Corvallis School District 2004), the school district called for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to be pursued for the two new schools. Both schools are applying for LEED Silver ratings. Energy efficiency and renewable energy will be incorporated directly into the buildings and curriculum. Estimates indicate that the new high school will use 35% less energy than a conventional school built to code, and the middle school, 30% less energy. The district is also planning to install a small, grid-connected photovoltaic system in one of the elementary schools for educational purposes (Mingo 2004).