Fossil Ridge High School

Fort Collins, Colorado

Annual energy costs reduced by $153,000 with no added 

design or construction costs

A Solid Business Decision

Making Fossil Ridge High School an EnergySmart School was a natural step for Poudre 

School District. Part of an ongoing commitment to energy efficiency, Poudre published 

Sustainable Design Guidelines* in conjunction with a 2000 bond issue, with the intention 

of saving money by constructing the most environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient 

school buildings possible. The Guidelines and lessons learned from applying them to 

the construction of two new, high-performance elementary schools gave Fossil Ridge an 

advantage—every decision made during the design process kept sustainability and energy 

efficiency in mind.

Photo: RB+B Architects, Inc.; David Patterson

ENERGYSMART SCHOOLS CASE STUDY

“The biggest selling point of sustainable design with a school administrator is that the building will save money. Our ultimate goal is to build the 

best classroom possible for the educational process, so if we can give 

occupants the best, save money, and be environmentally friendly, the 

bottom line is good for everyone.”

—Stu Reeve, Energy Manager, Poudre School District

Project Details

First School in Colorado to earn 

LEED Silver certification, July 15, 2005

Building: Two stories, 296,375 square feet

Completed: 2004

Financing: Bond issued in 2000

Cost: $38.5 million; $128 per square foot; 

$21,388 per student

Capacity: 1,800 students

Energy Performance and Savings:

60% below ASHRAE 90.1 1999; $153,076 

annual reduction in energy costs

Energy Costs: $0.33 and 30,000 Btu per 

square foot annually

Poudre School District:

• 48 schools

• 24,000 students

* Available from Poudre School District at www.psdschools.org/documentlibrary/downloads/Plan_Design_and_Construction/

Sustainable_Design_Guidelines_2005.pdf
Design Goals

The Fossil Ridge project team aimed to 

accomplish four design goals with no 

added design or construction costs:

• Create a healthy and comfortable 

environment that would encourage 

learning.

• Use the facility as a teaching tool for 

environmental design and stewardship.

• Make a resource- and energy-efficient 

building that would reduce operating 

costs, leaving more district money 

available for classroom spending.

• Make the design flexible and adaptable to 

accommodate any future programmatic 

changes.

Poudre School District added more specific energy-related goals for Fossil Ridge 

(shown in the table below). To optimize 

energy performance, Poudre used the 

eQUEST (Quick Energy Simulation 

Tool) program, which interfaces with 

the DOE-2.2 building energy model 

(www.doe2.com). The project team began 

with a simple sketch that evolved into a 

detailed room-by-room simulation, including daylighting, advanced HVAC, and 

envelope characteristics. Initial modeling 

helped determine the most appropriate 

design paths.

Financing

The school was financed with a 2000 bond 

issue that coincided with the district’s 

commitment to sustainable design. Fort 

Collins Utilities’ Integrated Design 

Assistance Program offered staff support 

and expertise during the design process 

and financial assistance to supplement the 

incremental cost of energy consultants.

ENERGYSMART SCHOOLS CASE STUDY

Poudre School District Energy-Related Goals

Goal Project Outcome

Full daylighting in classrooms for improved student performance and energy 

savings

Windows sized to provide 100% daylighting in most classrooms year round using 

clerestories

ENERGY STAR® rated ENERGY STAR® rated

Maximum cooling demand of 1,000 square foot per ton Maximum cooling demand of 1,000 square foot per ton

Minimize and shift peak power demand Reduced lighting demand and efficient HVAC equipment and ice storage lowered 

peak power demand by 50% and shifted it to off-peak morning hours

“The key factor is right sizing,” 

said Stu Reeve, energy manager 

for Poudre School District. “You’re 

building a better building envelope 

and the insulation is better, so your 

mechanical systems get smaller. 

You rightsize your HVAC—you look 

at the whole picture, including how 

asphalt parking lots generate heat 

in sunshine. It’s building smarter. 

That’s how you do it.”

Photos: RB+B Architects, Inc.; David Patterson
The Results

Poudre School District built a highperformance school with no added design 

or construction costs, saving thousands 

of dollars a year in operating costs. 

Completed on time and on a budget of 

$38 million, Fossil Ridge is comparable 

to a similarly sized, conventionally built 

school. The district collects energy 

usage and cost information monthly 

and compares it against the anticipated 

energy performance. 

As of 2007, energy savings of 60 percent 

(below ASHRAE 90.1 1999) were achieved 

at a construction cost of $128/ft2

. The result 

is at least a $85,000 reduction in annual 

energy costs ($271,800 over three years), 

when compared to Fort Collins High School, 

that can be put back into the classroom.

The Heschong Mahone Group, building 

energy efficiency consultants, conducted 

several studies (available at www.h-m-g.

com/projects/daylighting/projects-PIER.

htm) to measure the impact of the building’s green design strategies. Student and 

teacher satisfaction levels at Fossil Ridge 

are very high, and building occupants seem 

to genuinely appreciate their environment.

The student body has enthusiastically 

responded to the school’s energy-efficient 

features, forming the FRESH (Fossil Ridge 

Energy Saving High) organization. This 

organization focuses on reducing their 

ecological footprint, learning about the 

energy saving features of Fossil Ridge, 

and educating the school community on 

the benefits of conservation techniques.

ENERGYSMART SCHOOLS CASE STUDY

Fossil Ridge High School—EnergySmart Choices

Feature Benefit

Solar power Large shaded windows at the entrance support 5.2 kilowatts of photovoltaic panels that supply emergency power to the building.

Electricity 100% of electricity needs are supplied by wind power purchased from the local utility.

Exterior materials The white roof reflects solar radiation, reducing the heat island effect and internal cooling loads.

Building envelope R-values for the exterior walls and roof exceed the ASHRAE 90.1-1999 standard by 37% and 43%, respectively.

Daylighting Windows provide 100% daylighting in most classrooms year round, using clerestories on the north and south sides. High-performance

sensors and dimming ballasts adjust artificial lighting based on available sunlight.

Windows High-performance, low-E glazed windows provide insulation to reduce heating demand and reduce solar heat gains to lower cooling demand. 

All classroom windows open for natural ventilation. Automatic sensors turn off heating and cooling when windows are open.

Air conditioning Chillers produce thermal storage ice at night for cooling during the day. Shifting the cooling load to off-peak demand creates savings of

$9.00 per kilowatt, and allowed installation of a smaller chiller.

Heating Advanced natural gas condensing boilers are 96% efficient over standard 80% efficient boiler.

Water Water conservation is a key concern across Colorado. Fossil Ridge uses a raw water pond for campus irrigation, low-flow faucets and toilets, 

and artificial turf for the athletic field.

Indoor air quality A primary concern for Poudre, the building features operable windows to let in fresh air, carbon dioxide sensors, and paints and furnishings

with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

“Poudre School District is committed to being a responsible steward 

of our natural resources and believes 

that public education should provide 

leadership in developing an ethic of 

sustainability in all of its practices ... 

We believe that by working together 

in an integrated approach, we can 

build higher performance schools 

that provide a superior learning 

environment, while reducing life 

cycle costs through conservation 

of energy and natural resources.”

—Don Unger

Superintendent of Schools (2000)

Poudre School District

$225,000

$200,000

$150,000

$100,000

$50,000

$-

Fort Collins HS Fossil Ridge HS

$100,885

$124,151

$90,770

$49,215

Electric Gas

Energy Efficiency’s Bottom Line

Total: $225,036

Total: $139,985

Fossil Ridge High School’s FY07 annual 

energy costs were $85,051 less than those at 

Fort Collins High School, a comparable but 

conventionally built school in the same district.
A Strong Energy Portfolio 

for a Strong America

Energy efficiency and clean, renewable 

energy will mean a stronger economy, a 

cleaner environment, and greater energy 

independence for America. Working with 

a wide array of state, community, industry, 

and university partners, the U.S. Department 

of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency 

and Renewable Energy invests in a diverse 

portfolio of energy technologies.

ENERGYSMART SCHOOLS CASE STUDY

For more information, 

contact: 

Stu Reeve

Energy Manager

Poudre School District

970-490-3502

stur@psdschools.org

Margo Appel

Program Manager

EnergySmart Schools

202-586-9495

www.energysmartschools.gov

September 2009

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 

50% wastepaper, including 10% post-consumer waste.

EERE Information Center

1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463)

www.eere.energy.gov/informationcenter

A Successful Model

Key to the success at Fossil Ridge was Poudre School District’s commitment to sustainability and holistic, integrated design.

In 1999, the district formed the Green Team to provide direction for practical application of 

sustainability principles in all of its facilities’ construction and operations and maintenance 

plans. Combining the knowledge and experience of administrators, teachers, operations 

and maintenance staff, security and food services personnel, architects, engineers, local 

utilities, and the community, the Green Team developed an integrated, concrete process 

which reflected the functional needs and realities of all stakeholders while achieving 

maximum environmental sustainability and energy performance at minimum cost. 

Poudre’s Sustainable Design Guidelines were released in 2000 and are updated periodically.

Building on the Guidelines and the lessons learned from the subsequent construction of 

the Zach and Bacon high-performance elementary schools, the Green Team refined the 

planning and design process for Fossil Ridge. As a result, the Fossil Ridge proposal put out 

to bid included hard efficiency targets and specific design requirements, so bidding teams 

knew the client’s precise goals. The design budget was increased by two to three percent, 

enabling the winning design team to collaborate closely with the Green Team to resolve 

problems before construction began. The district found that spending more time and money 

upfront to ensure a fully integrated decision process actually reduced problems, construction 

time, and costs later on.

In the end, Fossil Ridge High School was built at no overall extra cost, saves thousands 

of dollars a year in operating costs, and is an exceptional facility for learning and working. 

Poudre School District also has constructed five additional new schools and retrofitted 50 

other facilities. Along with Fossil Ridge, these energy-efficient, environmentally responsible 

projects have reduced operational expenses to among the lowest of the state’s 178 districts.

More information about Poudre School District’s energy efficiency and sustainability 

activities is included in its 2007 Annual Sustainability Report, available at 

www.psdschools.org/documentlibrary/downloads/Operations/Annual_Sustainability_

Report_2007.pdf.

Lessons Learned

• Start Early—Energy-efficient design takes 

upfront time, many meetings, and, of course, 

cooperation.

• Set Specific Goals.

• Use Integrated Design—Know how each 

component affects the energy performance 

of other building components.

• Keep it Simple—While sophisticated systems 

may lead to outstanding energy savings, 

systems must be easily understood by the 

maintenance personnel and easily operated 

by the occupants.

• Be Willing to Compromise—Evaluate each 

product and system for cost and durability 

as well as sustainability. An open mind 

is essential; wearing ‘green blinders’ is 

not helpful.

“This is a dream building,” said 

Fossil Ridge’s media specialist, Lana 

Fain. “My students have told me 

that the space and lighting makes it 

easier for them to focus. They just 

love being here.”

(School Library Journal, 9/1/07)