Did you know building green schools can be budget-friendly? Rachel Gutter of School Construction News says so.
We’ve all heard that green schools save money, over time, reducing energy and water expenses. But Gutter says these days a green school can be built for a price comparable to a conventionally designed facility.
I have to admit I was skeptical of this when I first read it. I always heard green building required higher costs up-front, then you would recoup that in utilities savings years down the road, but she has proof it can be less expensive on the front-end to build green.
Gutter says West Brazos Junior High, the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified school in Texas, was built for 18 percent less than an average middle school in the region. Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wis., is an LEED Gold school built for 25 percent less than the regional construction average for high schools constructed in the same year.
While she likes the advances being made in new green construction, Gutter says the greatest opportunity to have the biggest impact on energy and water use and the least impact on the environment is through the greening of existing schools.
Just as with new green construction, implementing green strategies into existing school buildings doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. She suggests districts develop a plan to introduce new green strategies, technologies and policies over time, focusing first and foremost on high-impact strategies that yield immediate savings or have a significant impact on student health and wellness.
Projectmates can help you go green in your school construction project by reducing the amount of paper used, and keeping your projects on budget and schedule through up-to-the-minute reports. Our Web-based construction management software also will help you manage your building structure through its lifespan.
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