i

A Guide to Zero Energy 

and Zero Energy Ready 

K–12 Schools

Paul Torcellini and Kim Trenbath, NREL

Nathaniel Allen, U.S. Department of Energy

Maureen McIntyre, McIntyre Communications Inc.
ii

This work was authored by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, the manager and operator of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under 

Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308. Funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the 

views of the DOE or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes.

Implementing Partners

• Adams 12 Five Star Schools (CO), Shannon Oliver

• Alexandria City Public Schools (VA), Indrajeet

Viswanathan & Azjargal Bartlett

• Arlington Public Schools (VA), John Chadwick & Cathy Lin

• Baltimore City Public Schools (MD), Joanna Pi-Sunyer

• Boulder Valley School District (CO), Jeff Medwetz

• [State of ] California, Department of General Services,

Division of the State Architect, Chester Widom

• Douglas County School District (CO), Wayne Blazek

• Hermosa Beach City School District (CA), Nancy Bartolo

• Horry County Schools (SC), Mark Koll

• Los Angeles Unified School District (CA),

Christos Chrysiliou & team

• [State of ] Maryland, Maryland Energy

Administration, Rory Spangler

• [State of ] Minnesota, Department of Commerce,

Division of Energy Resources, Lindsay Anderson

• San Francisco Unified School District (CA), Nikolai Kaestner

National Partners

• Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), Donna Robinson

• Collaborative for High Performance Schools

(CHPS), Elizabeth Krautscheid

• Geothermal Heat Pump National and International

Initiative (Geo-NII), Jack DiEnna

• National Association of State Energy

Officials (NASEO), Ed Carley

• National Energy Education Development

Project (The NEED Project), Karen Reagor

• New Buildings Institute (NBI), Amy Cortese & Reilly Loveland

• North East Energy Efficiency Partnerships

(NEEP), John Balfe & Carolyn Sarno

• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Jacob

Corvidae & Matthew Jungclaus

• Southern California Edison (SCE), Jerine Ahmed

• The Energy Coalition (TEC), Marc Costa

• U.S. Department of Education, Andrea Falken

Finally, we are grateful to Cathie Welsch-Lydon and Newbie 

Walters at Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects, Amy Upton at 

Grimm + Parker Architects, and Nathan Herrero of SVA Architects, 

Inc. for taking the time to send us images of and details about 

their zero energy projects.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the generosity and transparency of 

the school districts, state governments, and nongovernmental 

organizations that participated in the Better Buildings Zero 

Energy Schools Accelerator (ZESA). Thanks to these ZESA 

partners, zero energy K–12 schools are becoming better 

understood and more widely adopted. 

Special thanks to the partners who contributed to the Partner 

Snapshots at the end of each step:

• Step 1: Shannon Oliver | Adams 12 Five Star Schools

• Step 2: Christos Chrysiliou | Los Angeles Unified School District

• Step 3: Wayne Blazek | Douglas County School District

• Step 4: Nancy Bartolo | Hermosa Beach City School District

• Step 5: Nikolai Kaestner | San Francisco Unified School District

• Step 6: Jeff Medwetz | Boulder Valley School District

• Step 7: Mark Koll | Horry County Schools

• Step 8: Cathy Lin | Arlington Public Schools

We are also grateful to the following colleagues from the U.S. 

Department of Energy for their reviews, feedback, guidance, and 

other assistance with this publication:

• Andre de Fontaine

• Solome Girma

• Amy Jiron

• Crystal McDonald

• Tony Tubiolo, Allegheny Science & Technology (contractor)

• Sarah Zaleski

In addition, several colleagues from the National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory were instrumental in shaping this publication:

• Brittany Conrad, Graphic designer

• Hilary Hatch Copeland, Communications technical editor

• Adam Hirsch, Peer reviewer

• Anoop Honnekeri, Building science engineer

• Jennifer Josey, Communications specialist

• Rois Langner, Peer reviewer

• Linh Troung, Communications specialist

• Fred Zietz, Graphic designer

We are also indebted to all ZESA partners for their insights 

and support and especially to those who provided reviews, 

photos, and other valuable contributions that helped shape 

this document: 

Acknowledgments
iii

Table of Contents continued on the next page

TABLE OF CONTENTS

§ Acknowledgments ii

§ OVERVIEW 1

− Procuring a Zero Energy School Building...................................................................................................................2

− Getting to Zero ...........................................................................................................................................................................3

− Using This Document.............................................................................................................................................................4

− Overview Resources................................................................................................................................................................5

§ STEP ONE: Conducting a Building Needs Assessment 7

− Building Needs Assessment Best Practices...............................................................................................................8

− Integrating Energy Efficiency Goals in a Building Needs Assessment.................................................... 8

− Partner Snapshot: Conducting a Building Needs Assessment in Adams County, Colorado.................9

− Resources for Conducting a Building Needs Assessment............................................................................ 10

§ STEP TWO: Engaging Stakeholders 11

− What Is Stakeholder Engagement?............................................................................................................................. 12

− When and How to Engage Stakeholders................................................................................................................ 13

− Partner Snapshot: Engaging Stakeholders in Los Angeles, California.................................................... 16

− Resources for Engaging Stakeholders....................................................................................................................... 17

§ STEP THREE: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process 19

− Establish a Target Energy Use Intensity and Include It in the Procurement Documents.......... 20

− Select Contractors Who Can Meet or Exceed Performance Goals within the Budget................ 22

− Identify Programmatic Requirements and Energy Performance-Based Goals................................ 22

− Implement the Procurement Process........................................................................................................................ 22

− Partner Snapshot: Including Zero Energy Goals in the 

Procurement Process in Douglas County, Colorado ........................................................................................ 24

− Ensure the Project Team Is Committed to the Energy Goals....................................................................... 25

− Resources for Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process........................................... 26

§ STEP FOUR: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals 27

− Other Strategies for Selecting a Design and Construction Team............................................................. 28

− Design Strategies.................................................................................................................................................................... 31

− Partner Snapshot: Selecting a Design and Construction Team 

Committed to Zero Energy in Hermosa Beach, California............................................................................ 32

− Challenges.................................................................................................................................................................................. 33

− Resources for Selecting a Design and Construction Team........................................................................... 34

§ STEP FIVE: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design 35

− Design Considerations........................................................................................................................................................ 36
iv

− Include Energy Expertise in the Quality Assurance Team............................................................................. 37

− Design Quality Assurance ................................................................................................................................................. 37

− Key Checkpoints for Meeting Energy Goals.......................................................................................................... 37

− Partner Snapshot: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design in San Francisco, California..... 38

− Aligning Energy Goals with Educational Opportunities................................................................................ 40

− Resources for Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design............................................................................ 40

§ STEP SIX: Achieving Zero Energy Goals during Construction and Commissioning 41

− Quality Assurance................................................................................................................................................................... 42

− Resources for Achieving Zero Energy Goals during Construction and Commissioning........... 43

− Partner Snapshot: Achieving Zero Energy Goals during 

Construction and Commissioning in Boulder, Colorado............................................................................... 44

§ STEP SEVEN: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants 45

− Evaluating Performance..................................................................................................................................................... 46

− Engaging Occupants............................................................................................................................................................ 47

− Partner Snapshot: Evaluating Performance and Engaging

 Occupants in Horry County, South Carolina........................................................................................................ 50

− Resources for Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants.......................................................... 51

§ STEP EIGHT: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School 53

− Documenting for Zero Energy Replication............................................................................................................ 54

− Telling the Zero Energy Story.......................................................................................................................................... 54

− Continuous Improvement................................................................................................................................................ 56

− Partner Snapshot: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School in Arlington, Virginia 57

− Institutionalizing Zero Energy......................................................................................................................................... 58

− Resources for Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School.......................................................... 59

§ References 60

§ Acronyms 62

§ List of Tables

− Table 1. Communication Topics for Specific Stakeholder Groups............................................................ 14

− Table 2. Target Energy Use Intensity by Climate Zone .................................................................................... 21

− Table 3. Evaluating Bidders............................................................................................................................................... 29

− Table 4. Accountability for Different Project Delivery Mechanisms........................................................ 42

§ List of Figures

− Figure 1. The players involved in a zero energy K–12 school building project.................................. 4

− Figure 2. Objectives checklist for an example school...................................................................................... 23

− Figure 3. Energy dashboard screenshot for Discovery Elementary in 

Arlington, Virginia, taken at 2:23 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, January 8, 2019............................... 36

− Figure 4. The building manager for NREL’s RSF surveyed occupants on comfort using a 

desktop application that captures and addresses occupant comfort in real time ....................... 49
Overview 1

OVERVIEW

Discovery Elementary, a zero energy school in Arlington, Virginia, saves the district money and 

provides a robust learning environment for students. Photo by VMDO Architects/©Alan Karchmer

Buildings account for nearly 40% of the energy 

consumed in the United States (EIA n.d.), and 

reducing that energy use offers many benefits to 

owners, occupants, and communities. The number 

of zero energy (ZE) buildings—which are so energyefficient that on-site renewable energy (usually solar 

photovoltaics [PV]) can meet or exceed their annual 

energy needs—is growing steadily as the hurdles 

of getting to ZE are better understood and more 

easily overcome. Thanks to the focus on energy 

efficiency during planning, design, construction, 

and operation, these buildings cost less to operate; 

provide healthy, comfortable, attractive indoor 

environments; and can be designed and built on 

conventional building budgets. The number of ZE 

buildings in the United States continues to grow. 

Globally, the ZE buildings market is projected to grow 

to $78.79 billion by 2025 (Grand View Research 2017a), 

up from $8.04 billion in 2016 (Grand View Research 

2017b).
2 Overview

ZE buildings are described differently—zero energy, 

net zero energy, zero net energy—in different regions 

(DOE 2015). If the output from the renewable energy 

system exceeds the energy needs, the building is said 

to be energy positive. In some situations, school owners 

opt to delay the installation of the renewable energy 

system because of financial or other constraints. These 

schools, dubbed “zero energy ready (ZER),” offer many 

of the benefits of ZE schools, including reduced utility 

bills. Regardless of the label, every ZE building starts with 

optimizing energy efficiency. 

Interest in getting to ZE is particularly keen among U.S. 

school districts (Torcellini and Pless 2018a; Torcellini and 

Pless 2018b). In addition to saving money on energy, 

a significant benefit for many cash-strapped school 

districts, ZE schools are living laboratories for students, 

supporting districts’ highest priority—creating robust 

learning environments. Schools are generally high-profile 

buildings in communities and tend to be one to three 

stories, which helps make ZE an achievable goal with 

on-site renewables (Griffith et al. 2007). 

The interest in ZE K–12 schools is driven by benefits 

that include:

• Student learning and success. A ZE K–12 school 

focuses the school community (students, teachers, 

staff, and parents) on the process of achieving ZE, and 

on science, technology, engineering, art, and math 

(STEAM) subjects that can prepare students for future 

STEAM courses or careers. 

• Healthy, high-performance learning environments. 

ZE school buildings are designed to promote health 

and comfort and serve as living laboratories for 

students and educators.

• Sound fiscal management of community resources. 

ZE schools reduce energy consumption, which reduces 

the school district’s—and the community’s—exposure 

to the risk of future energy price volatility. Because 

the cost of designing and building a school with a low 

enough energy use intensity (EUI or annual energy 

consumption per unit area) to achieve ZE can be 

comparable to that of a conventional school, it can 

be a sound business decision that frees up funds for 

educational priorities.

• Sustainability leadership. School districts are often 

early adopters of sustainability best practices and 

demonstrate leadership in environmental stewardship, 

fiscal responsibility, and innovative education that 

extends to the larger community.

• Resiliency. A K–12 school is often a community 

gathering place, and—because of its energy efficiency 

and on-site renewable energy production—a ZE school 

can be a comfortable refuge during extreme weather 

events and other grid outages. 

As ZE schools become more common and the process of 

getting to ZE becomes better understood, ZE is evolving 

from vision to reality. The New Buildings Institute’s (NBI’s) 

2018 Getting to Zero Status Update and List of Zero Energy 

Projects publication reflects a steep rise in the number of 

ZE buildings, with the count increasing more than 700% 

in six years (NBI 2018). Of the ZE buildings on the 2018 

NBI list, 18% are K–12 schools.

Procuring a Zero Energy 

School Building 

Procuring a ZE school building is a highly involved, 

customized process involving a number of players (see 

Figure 1). In this document, procurement refers to the 

entire process of designing, constructing, and operating 

a school building. It requires that building professionals, 

materials suppliers, consultants, educators, facilities 

personnel, and others work together to develop and 

follow a detailed plan to achieve the desired outcome—

a ZE building. 

All key players must work collaboratively from early in the 

design process. Producing a ZE school on a conventional 

school budget requires an integrative design approach 

that considers each strategy, system, and component 

from the perspective of an overall goal, namely achieving 

an EUI—expressed in thousands of British thermal units 

per square foot per year (kBtu/ft2·yr)—low enough that 

the building’s energy needs can be met with an on-site 

renewable energy system.

As the energy efficiency of the ZE building increases, the 

size and cost of some components can be reduced—

mechanical systems, for example. To ensure the building 

provides all the services and functions occupants expect, 

it’s important that key players experienced with integrated 

design are involved from the beginning of the project. 
Overview 3

Getting to Zero

This guide was developed as part of the U.S. Department 

of Energy’s (DOE’s) Zero Energy Schools Accelerator 

(ZESA), a collaborative effort organized by DOE, with 

support from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

(NREL), and in partnership with school districts, states, 

and nongovernmental organizations around the 

country. 

ZESA is one of 13 Better Buildings Accelerators DOE 

coordinates to demonstrate specific innovative 

technologies, solutions, and approaches that will 

accelerate investment in energy efficiency. Each 

accelerator is a targeted, partner-focused activity of up to 

3 years designed to address persistent barriers to greater 

energy efficiency.

Given the complexities of achieving ZE, DOE launched 

ZESA in 2016 to support school districts interested in or 

currently pursuing ZE design goals. There are two types 

of participants—implementing partners and national 

partners—and each makes a commitment to participate 

for the entire 3-year duration of the accelerator. 

Implementing partners are state governments and school 

districts, and national partners are nongovernmental 

organizations that provide guidance and technical 

assistance to the implementing partners. The shared 

experiences and insights of ZESA partners were 

instrumental in the creation of this guide. 

This document outlines the steps to creating a ZE school. 

These steps serve as a guide to ensure that a school 

achieves its ZE design goal and maintains its ZE status 

after it’s occupied and operating. A few elements of 

successful ZE buildings include:

• Setting a measurable ZE goal and a fixed budget very

early in the design and construction process and

writing both into the request for proposal (RFP) and,

ultimately, the contract

• Including the energy goal in all contracts for

delivering the building project, including design and

construction contracts

• Ensuring the ZE goal serves the school building’s

primary purpose, which is to function as a robust

learning environment for students

• Generating enthusiasm and commitment among

stakeholders for the ZE goal

The Players

A successful zero energy K–12 school building project involves the coordinated, collaborative efforts of 

multiple participants, including, but not limited to:

School owner. A team of people with decision-making and financial authority for the zero energy school 

project; it can include the school principal, the district superintendent, school board members, facility 

managers, and others.

Project team. The architects, engineers, contractor, key subcontractors, commissioning agent, school owner, 

owner’s representatives, and others who will design and build the zero energy school.

Utility and fuel providers. Local electric, gas, and water utilities; fuel oil dealers; and propane suppliers. 

Stakeholders. Anyone with an interest in the project; can include the school owner, project team, interested 

community members, taxpayers (schools are publicly funded), building users (teachers, students, parents, 

and community members), and building operators (on-site facility and energy managers, custodians, grounds 

personnel, and others). Stakeholders can be supporters—zero energy champions, for example—or detractors 

such as neighbors, employees, or others who oppose the project.

Figure 1. The players involved in a zero energy K–12 school building project
4 Overview

• Selecting design and construction professionals who are 

aligned with the ZE goal and committed to meeting it

• Creating an energy model early in the design process 

and keeping it updated after the building is occupied 

and operating

• Commissioning and verifying energy performance 

• Choosing a procurement process and delivery mechanism 

that supports the ZE goal while containing costs. 

By engaging a broad range of participants (see Figure 1), 

it is possible to shift design and construction conventions 

so that ZE is a priority from the inception of a building 

project without sacrificing other priorities. Given the 

diversity of K–12 educational, procurement, and design 

and construction approaches around the country, 

however, each school district will need to make this 

framework its own based on local norms and practices. 

The steps included here can provide guidance and 

structure for the process of getting to zero. 

to local participants and that existing procurement and 

delivery mechanisms may need to be modified to get 

to ZE. As ZE buildings continue to gain traction in the 

marketplace, these challenges will become less common, 

but in the meantime, school owners and ZE champions will 

need to be patient and persistent in advocating for ZE.

Finally, although the scope of this document is limited to 

new construction, the information could also be used to 

plan and execute strategic ZE retrofits. A few ZE retrofit 

resources are included in Overview Resources.

Fundamentally, every decision made during the 

process of procuring a commercial building has energy 

or environmental consequences, whether it is new 

construction or a retrofit (DOE n.d.-c). The depth of 

the retrofit, however, impacts the number of decisions 

that can be made to reduce energy consumption. All 

projects, regardless of size, should have an energy goal, 

but strategic retrofits and new construction offer more 

opportunities to achieve a ZE goal.

Using This Document 

This document is intended to be used in conjunction 

with Achieving Zero Energy: Advanced Energy Design Guide 

for K–12 School Buildings; a free download is available at 

https://www.ashrae.org/aedg (ASHRAE 2018). This 

guide is written for a broad audience, ranging 

from commercial building design and construction 

professionals to parents, educators, school officials, 

members of the local community, and anyone else with 

an interest in supporting ZE schools.

At the end of each of the eight steps, there is a list of 

resources for that step. In addition, there are citations 

in parentheses throughout the document that refer to 

sources in the reference list located at the end of this 

document. In general, references are information sources 

that contain more technical content, and the resources 

included with each step are appropriate for less 

technical readers.

Each step also includes a “Partner Snapshot.” These 

short anecdotes were provided by participating ZESA 

school districts and offer a quick synopsis of the district’s 

experience with that step.

Step 1. Conducting a Building Needs Assessment

Step 2. Engaging Stakeholders

Step 3. Including Zero Energy Goals 

in the Procurement Process

Step 4. Selecting a Design and Construction 

Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals

Step 5. Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design

Step 6. Achieving Zero Energy Goals during 

Construction and Commissioning

Step 7. Evaluating Performance 

and Engaging Occupants

Step 8. Showcasing and Replicating 

a Zero Energy School 

Ideally, the key stakeholders involved in the building 

project would all be at the table from the beginning, 

would adopt and commit to the ZE goal, and would 

consider ZE in each design and construction decision. The 

reality is likely to be that the ease with which a ZE school 

can be delivered (DOE n.d.-a; NBI 2018) will be unfamiliar 
Overview 5

Although this guide presents the ZE process in eight 

distinct steps, there will inevitably be overlap. For 

example, stakeholder engagement (Step Two) is likely 

to go on throughout the project and into building 

operation. 

Content and resources are sometimes included in more 

than one step. This is an acknowledgment that readers 

may not read this document from beginning to end but 

rather may focus on the sections most relevant to their 

current interests and tasks. Many of the organizations 

responsible for the resources and references in this 

document are committed to chronicling and supporting 

the proliferation of ZE buildings generally and ZE K–12 

schools specifically. Readers can check their websites for 

current offerings and updates on this important work.

Overview Resources

Zero Energy Schools Resources

2018 Getting to Zero Status Update and List of Zero 

Energy Projects: https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/

uploads/2018/01/2018_GtZStatusUpdate_201808.pdf. NBI’s 

annual ZE status update and ZE buildings list.

Examples of school district policies, state policies, 

national programs, and other resources to support school 

districts on the path to ZE: https://newbuildings.org/hubs/

zero-net-energy/. Materials developed by NBI for ultralow energy building projects that consume only as much 

energy as they produce from clean, renewable resources.

NBI ZE resources: https://gettingtozeroforum.org/zeroenergy-schools-resources/. Resources regarding state 

policies and national programs working toward ZE 

schools; districts pursuing ZE and the strategies they 

use to achieve this target; feasibility studies, 

assessment strategies, and other technical information 

about ZE school design; and case studies of successful 

ZE school buildings.

Zero Energy Buildings Resource Hub, an NREL/DOE website: 

https://www.zeroenergy.org/schools. Case studies, videos, 

and other ZE school resources. 

ZE K–12 school case studies, Commercial Buildings 

Resource Database: https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/

search/resources/k12casestudy. Case studies of ZE and 

high-performance schools.

Casey Middle School, a LEED Platinum facility in Boulder, Colorado, features a 27-kW solar bike port. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 45244
6 Overview

Retrofit Resources

Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide for K–12 Schools: 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/17. 

General project planning guidance as well as detailed 

descriptions and financial payback metrics for the most 

important and relevant K–12 school energy efficiency 

measures.

American Geophysical Union’s ZE renovation project: 

https://building.agu.org/about-the-project/. Information 

on what is anticipated to be the first 

ZE renovation of an existing building in the District 

of Columbia.

DOE’s Commercial Buildings Resource Database, ZE 

retrofits: https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/search/

resources/zero%20energy%20retrofit. List of ZE 

retrofit resources.

Garden Grove [California] School District ZE retrofits: 

https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/

NBI_Case-StudyProp39_GardenGroveSchoolDist.pdf. Sixpage case study of the Santiago High School Science 

Building and the Ralston Intermediate Building K: 

Multipurpose Room and Kitchen retrofits; projects are 

classified by NBI as “ZE emerging”—they have a stated 

ZE goal, but their performance has not yet been verified 

with 12 months of energy use and generation data.

Los Osos [California] Middle School ZE retrofit: https://

newbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/

NBI_Case-StudyProp39_LosOsos.pdf. Four-page case 

study of the Los Osos Middle School ZE retrofit, which 

is classified by NBI as “ZE emerging”—it has a stated ZE 

goal, but its performance has not yet been verified with 

12 months of energy use and generation data. 

Newcastle [California] Elementary School ZE retrofit: 

https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/

01/NBI_Case-StudyProp39_Newcastle.pdf. Six-page case 

study of Newcastle Elementary School ZE retrofit, which 

is classified by NBI as “ZE emerging”—

it has a stated ZE goal, but its performance has not 

yet been verified with 12 months of energy use and 

generation data.

Community Action Planning For Energy Efficiency: 

https://neep.org/capee/. CAPEE is a free online tool to 

help communities set goals and prioritize actions that 

lead to improved energy efficiency.

Zero Energy Schools 

Accelerator Partners

Implementing Partners

Implementing Partners—School Districts

• Adams 12-Five Star Schools (Colorado)

• Alexandria City Public Schools (Virginia)

• Arlington Public Schools (Virginia)

• Baltimore City Public Schools (Maryland)

• Boulder Valley School District (Colorado)

• Douglas County School District (Colorado)

• Hermosa Beach City School District (California)

• Horry County Schools (South Carolina)

• San Francisco Unified School District (California)

• Los Angeles Unified School District (California)

Implementing Partners—State

• State of California (Division of the State Architect)

• State of Maryland (Maryland Energy Administration)

• State of Minnesota (Department of Commerce)

National Partners

• Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)

• Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)

• Geothermal Heat Pump National 

and International Initiative (Geo-NII)

• National Association of State Energy Officials 

(NASEO)

• National Energy Education Development 

Project (The NEED Project) 

• New Buildings Institute (NBI)

• Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)

• Southern California Edison (SCE)

• The Energy Coalition (TEC)

• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)

• U.S. Department of Education
Conducting a Building Needs Assessment 7

1

Thunder Vista P-8 is a zero energy ready school in Adams County, Colorado. Photo by Kim Trenbath, NREL

Conducting a Building 

Needs Assessment

A building needs assessment examines a school 

district’s current building portfolio with a focus on 

energy-consuming building equipment, 

components, and operational strategies. Typically, 

the core assessment areas include the capacity 

and robustness of the physical infrastructure, the 

suitability of the learning environment, the use of 

public space, and the flexibility of spaces and uses, 

among other things. Very often, the building needs 

assessment overlooks elements such as energy 

performance, maintenance, and ongoing operations. 

Focusing on energy use and operations in this 

assessment is integral to achieving ZE.

STEP ONE
8 Step 1: Conducting a Building Needs Assessment

For example, occupants expect to have hot water in 

restrooms. The traditional solution might be a three-pipe 

hot water system with a circulator and a hot water boiler. 

A more energy-efficient and economical solution might 

be very low flow sink faucets with small hot water heaters 

located near the restroom or under the sinks that use less 

energy than the circulator pump alone. As a bonus, this 

solution would save in construction costs. 

Note that for the building needs assessment, the 

need is to provide hot water to sinks—a performance 

criterion. The solution would not be specified, but rather 

the design and construction team would determine 

solution(s) during the design process. By focusing on 

defining the need, not the solution, design teams have 

the latitude they need to suggest innovative and energyefficient solutions beyond what are typically considered 

during building design.

Here are some energy-related questions to answer during 

the building needs assessment:

• What are the acceptable ranges of indoor temperature 

and humidity? Can ASHRAE Standard 55 (ASHRAE 

2013a) be used? These ranges might be different for 

different parts of the building. For example, hallways 

can have a larger temperature range than classrooms.

• What are the daily and annual occupancy schedules for 

different parts of the building?

» Indicate on the schedules when portions of 

buildings have different schedules. For example, 

the office area may have different hours of 

operation than classrooms.

» Identify times when whole building occupancy 

is different

w During summer school, if applicable

w If multifunction rooms, gymnasiums, and 

specialty spaces are used in the evenings or 

weekends.

» Consider occupancy differences because of the 

trend of schools being used as community focal 

points, which can result in higher than anticipated 

occupancy rates.

» Provide schedules as a percentage of occupancy 

to expedite modeling.

Caption/Credit here

Building Needs Assessment 

Best Practices

In a new school with a ZE or ZER goal, here are some 

best practices common to successful projects from 

Achieving Zero Energy: Advanced Energy Design Guide for 

K–12 School Buildings (ZE K12 AEDG), a free download 

(ASHRAE 2018):

• Include energy as a core assessment area

• Compare the EUIs of existing schools in the district 

to the EUI targets for ZE schools in the ZE K12 AEDG 

(ASHRAE 2018, Table 3-1, p. 34)

• Study the EUI values of similar buildings in the 

district in enough depth to identify energy-intensive 

building components

• Set a measurable, absolute energy goal

• Select proper inputs for the energy model, including 

details about occupancy levels, comfort levels, 

operational hours, specialty spaces, and plug loads 

• Evaluate the solar availability at the site (NREL n.d.)

• Research utility provider incentives and requirements 

for ZE and net metering as well as energy rates, demand 

charges, connectivity, maintenance charges, and any 

other conditions that could affect the ZE project.

Integrating Energy Efficiency 

Goals in a Building Needs 

Assessment

As noted above, a best practice for integrating 

energy efficiency goals in building needs assessment 

is to include energy as a core assessment area. Two 

considerations are key to understanding building 

energy use. 

First, determine the features and components that 

impact energy consumption. These inputs could 

include details about occupancy levels, comfort levels, 

operational hours, specialty spaces, lighting levels, and 

plug load needs. The design team can then use these 

inputs to develop a design that includes all the energy 

services occupants expect. Examining existing buildings 

is a good starting point. 
Conducting a Building Needs Assessment 9

• What are the tasks in each space and the 

recommended lighting levels? Can Illuminating 

Engineering Society (IES) standards (IES n.d.) be used 

to determine lighting levels?

• What are the plug load expectations in each space, 

such as audio/visual, computers, etc.? How do the plug 

loads relate to function in the space?

• How can teacher amenities be provided? Can larger 

and commonly shared equipment such as refrigerators, 

multifunction printers, or other kitchen equipment 

be provided in the teacher lounge or resource center 

rather than in the classroom? Are space heaters used? 

(Space heaters are often a sign of discomfort. Buildings 

should be designed so that spaces are comfortable and 

occupants don’t need space heaters.)

• Are regenerative elevators acceptable?

• What are the information technology needs, including 

server closets? What are manufacturer’s specifications 

on these devices? Do the manufacturer’s specifications 

align with the set points for those zones? (Often—and 

usually for historical rather than technical reasons—

server closets are overconditioned, wasting energy).

• What loads can be turned off when the building is 

unoccupied? Examine every load. A key to achieving 

a ZE building is shutting down the building when it is 

unoccupied. Examples include WiFi routers, computers, 

vending machines, kitchen equipment, and sound 

systems, among other things.

Second, set measurable, absolute energy goals. 

The building needs assessment should evaluate the 

EUIs of schools in the district. These schools can then 

be compared against the EUI targets for ZE schools 

shown in ASHRAE 2018 (Table 3-1 on page 34). 

Studying the EUI values of similar buildings can help 

identify energy-intensive building components, 

assuming end uses are submetered. For new ZE 

schools, the EUI values of existing schools in the district 

and the identification of energy-intensive building 

components is useful background to have during design. 

The design team can work to mitigate energy use from 

energy-intensive components by substituting energyefficient equipment that performs the same functions 

or reducing the use of those components through 

scheduling and other strategies. 

Partner Snapshot: Conducting a 

Building Needs Assessment in 

Adams County, Colorado

Adams 12 Five Star Schools is located in five 

communities across north metro Denver, 

Colorado. In 2003, the district began planning 

healthy and high-quality learning environments 

for all the district’s students by focusing on the 

design and construction of sustainable, costeffective schools. 

The effort consisted of integrating energy 

efficiency, lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, 

and air quality criteria into district planning 

and design guidelines. Adams 12 uses these 

criteria to inform building professionals about 

best practices in all aspects of building design 

and construction. 

After multiple failed bond attempts, the district 

acknowledged that a formal building needs 

assessment could help educate community 

members about why they should vote for the 

next bond. Beginning in 2014, Adams 12 began 

to gather information for the next bond request 

with assistance from the Collaborative for High 

Performance Schools (CHPS) and ultimately 

became the first school district in the nation to 

complete a building assessment for all schools in 

the district using a CHPS1 tool. 

The process involved completing several 

benchmarking steps including gathering 

school-wide building and systems data, 

conducting an occupant survey, collecting 

classroom measurements, and entering data 

into the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager. After 

completing the building needs assessment 

for the entire district during a 3-year period, 

the district was able to use the results of the 

building needs assessment to present “report 

cards” to each school and community that 

prioritized in detail the greatest needs of each 

facility. In addition to the needs identified by the 

assessment, the district needed a new school in 

response to the growth of the local community. 
10 Step 1: Conducting a Building Needs Assessment

Based on the building needs assessment and the 

high-performance design guidelines, the Adams 12 

planning staff proposed that a healthy and low energy 

school be included in the upcoming bond measure 

to accommodate this population growth. In 2016, the 

voters of the Five Star community approved the district’s 

bond request and Thunder Vista P-8 became a reality.

It likely wouldn’t have been possible to secure buy-in 

from district leadership on a high-performance school 

without the results of the building needs assessment. 

Resources for Conducting a 

Building Needs Assessment 

ASHRAE Standard 55-2013: Thermal Environmental 

Conditions for Human Occupancy: https://www.ashrae.

org/resources--publications/bookstore/standard-55-anduser-s-manual. Standard to determine requirements 

for thermal environmental conditions for human 

occupancy; includes requirements for temperature, 

thermal radiation, humidity, and air speed. Available 

for purchase from ASHRAE. 

IES Standards: https://www.ies.org/standards/. Standards 

for lighting as defined by the IES. These are researchsupported recommended practices for lighting, some 

of which are jointly published with ASHRAE. 

Regional Operations & Maintenance Guide for High 

Performance Schools and Public Buildings in the 

1. https://chps.net

Shifting from an anecdotal discussion of the deficiencies 

in our facilities to a data-driven conversation based on 

nationally recognized standards added credibility to the 

design proposal. Once the buy-in was secure, the district 

committed to achieving CHPS VerifiedTM status for the 

new P–8 school. 

This commitment provided a structured approach to 

the design and construction of the first facility of this 

caliber in the district, and was the first step toward 

low energy design. The next step was to engage an 

experienced design team that would embrace the 

commitment to a ZER school. The final key step arising 

from the building needs assessment was setting an EUI 

target for the new building that would be the lowest in 

the district—26 kBtu/ft2·yr. 

Although the successful completion of Thunder Vista 

P–8 is a testament to the hard work of hundreds of 

individuals, a project of this size and scope always 

needs a starting point. Conducting a building needs 

assessment is a relatively simple and data-driven place 

to start when considering low energy design.

Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: https://neep.org/sites/default/

files/resources/OMG%20Update_DEC%202018%20

Final.pdf. Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships. 

Assessment strategies and other information for highperformance schools.

School Building Assessment Methods, National 

Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities: http://www.ncef.

org/pubs/sanoffassess.pdf. Detailed examples of school 

building assessments. 

Submetering of Building Energy and Water Usage, 

National Science and Technology Council: http://www.

allianceforwaterefficiency.org/uploadedFiles/Resource_

Center/Library/submetering/NIST-2011-Submeteringof-Energy-and-Water-Use.pdf. Information on energy 

assessments and audits.

Updated resources for Step One: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep1.

The Thunder Vista P-8 EUI target is 26kBtu/ft2·yr, the lowest in the district. Photo by Paul Torcellini, NREL
Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders 11

STEP TWO 2

Meadowlark School in Erie, Colorado, is expected to operate at the Boulder Valley School District energy use 

intensity target of 30 kBtu/ft2·yr. Photo by Fred J. Fuhrmeister/Time Frame Images

Engaging 

Stakeholders

At this point in the process, stakeholders include 

direct decision makers, such as members of the board 

of education, school district administrators, capital 

project managers, and the school principal. They also 

include those who will use the building on a regular 

basis (teachers, students, parents, and community 

members) and those who will operate the building 

on a regular basis (facility and energy managers). The 

project team, consisting of architectural, engineering, 

construction, and commissioning professionals, also 

affects the project outcome, although they may not 

be fully engaged at this point. Ideally, the project 

team is at the table from the beginning of the process. 

Elected officials and community leaders can also 

influence the project and can be valuable additions to 

advisory boards. Some of these stakeholders may also 

be school owners—that subset of stakeholders with 

the authority to make decisions about the project.
12 Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders

During the process of stakeholder engagement, it’s 

important to define and identify the owner and the 

key financial decision makers. For schools, this is often 

a team of people with decision-making and financial 

authority for the ZE school project; it can include the 

school principal, district superintendent, school board 

members, facility managers, and others; the makeup 

varies depending on the dynamics of the local school 

district. This team discusses and decides on a set of 

measurable goals for the project. Ideally, the team 

records these goals in a document (“goals contract”) 

and all members of the owner team sign it, including 

the district superintendent.

In addition, community members who are not directly 

impacted by schools may also have a stake in a ZE 

school project. These stakeholders can have significant 

influence, especially if they oppose it. The school owner 

and the project team can make an effort to include 

these external stakeholders in the conversation and 

help them understand the environmental, economic, 

and educational benefits of ZE schools (see Generating 

Excitement for Zero Energy Schools in this step).

Taxpayers are another stakeholder group that are 

impacted by and can influence the outcome of a ZE 

project. Because most schools are publicly funded, the 

community at large has an impact on the funding and the 

ability of a project to move forward. 

Utility providers should also be involved from the 

beginning; they can be invaluable allies or frustrating 

antagonists. For example, rebates can offset costs, but 

limits on renewables production can make it difficult 

or impossible to get to ZE. The local electric utility in 

particular should be consulted very early in the project.

What Is Stakeholder Engagement?

Engaging as many stakeholders as possible as early as 

possible is important, because achieving ZE performance 

in a school requires the active involvement of building 

occupants as well as support from community members, 

who often influence school district decisions. When 

stakeholders are engaged from project inception and stay 

involved through design, construction, and operation, 

Caption/Credit here

Mr. Brandt's kindergarten class at Graceland Park/O'Donnell Heights Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore built a model of their new zero energy school. Photo by Grimm + Parker Architects
Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders 13

the likelihood of achieving the ZE design 

goal as well as ZE performance over the life of the 

building increases dramatically. Broad stakeholder 

involvement also improves the likelihood that the ZE 

school will foster a culture of resource stewardship and 

innovation in the community. 

Stakeholder engagement may sound simple, but it is 

not easy. A successful ZE school project requires a team 

that includes school and project representatives with 

common goals and visions. Getting stakeholders to the 

table and aligning their ideas and interests with project 

objectives can be time-consuming and challenging. The 

process is crucial, however, to providing a framework for 

achieving and maintaining ZE.

When and How to 

Engage Stakeholders

Stakeholder engagement starts at the beginning of a 

school project and continues after the school is occupied 

and operating. Although it is depicted here as “Step Two,” 

it spans the entire project. 

Four critical elements of stakeholder engagement are: 

• Identifying a ZE project champion

• Analyzing stakeholder groups 

• Generating excitement for ZE schools

• Encouraging stakeholder collaboration. 

Identifying a Zero Energy Project Champion

The school owner should identify a ZE champion or 

champions who will ensure that ZE goals are set and met 

throughout the project. The champion(s) can also foster 

the ZE process with the project team and the broader 

community, and should be identified at the beginning 

of the process. These individuals should ideally have the 

vision, passion, persistence, and powers of persuasion to 

lead the project through planning, design, construction, 

occupancy, commissioning, and ongoing measurement 

and verification (M&V). The champion(s) will implement 

a clear yet flexible communication strategy to educate, 

generate enthusiasm, and develop new proponents for 

ZE in all stakeholder groups. 

The champion(s) should ensure that the ZE goals 

are maintained during the school design process. As 

challenges arise, there may be times during design when 

team members want to disregard ZE goals or EUI targets. 

The champion’s job is to remind team members of their 

commitment to creating a ZE school. The champion may 

need to be prepared with examples and case studies of 

challenges overcome by other ZE school teams. Example 

case studies are in the Commercial Buildings Resource 

Database or on NBI’s website (see Resources for Engaging 

Stakeholders in this step).

The champion role is critical. For example, if the design 

team isn’t contractually obligated to meet a measurable, 

absolute EUI goal, it could respond to cost increases and 

other challenges with reasons ZE is not possible. The 

champion must remind team members that they were 

selected based on their ability and willingness to achieve 

ZE goals. If a compromise cannot be negotiated, the 

building owner may decide to select a new design team 

committed to the stated goals. 

Analyzing Stakeholder Groups

Stakeholder analysis involves identifying stakeholder 

groups; developing an understanding of their values, 

goals, and messages before determining how to engage 

with them; and locating influential individuals within 

the groups. School districts may find it useful to map 

stakeholders based on how much they will be affected by 

the ZE school project and the how much influence they 

have on the ZE school project. The relative influence and 

impact of various stakeholder groups can in turn be used 

to develop an engagement plan.

Generating Excitement for Zero Energy Schools

The project team can generate excitement for the ZE 

school project among stakeholders by publicizing the 

benefits of a ZE school. Common messages include: 

• Lower operating costs. K–12 schools spend more 

than $8 billion on energy annually, making energy the 

second highest operating expense after personnel 

costs (DOE n.d.-d).

• Student learning and success. The ZE building is a 

part of a comprehensive learning environment that 

allows the entire school community (students, teachers, 
14 Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders

provides passive energy services such as daylighting 

and ventilation. In addition, the PV system can be 

isolated from the grid so that it continues to 

provide electricity to the building during the day 

(NBI 2017). If the solar system is paired with energy 

storage, electricity is also available when the solar 

resource is not, which is especially welcome during 

grid outages.

Stakeholders will appreciate information and 

explanations that address their specific interests and 

concerns. Therefore, the project team should develop 

communication strategies that appeal to different 

stakeholder groups. Table 1 is a sample of various 

stakeholder groups and topics for communication 

with those groups.

The school owner can build confidence among 

stakeholder groups that ZE is an achievable goal by 

staff, and parents) to participate in the process of 

achieving ZE. Community collaboration can help ensure 

the building operates as energy-efficiently as possible; 

for example, using daylighting instead of turning on 

overhead lights. Because they are immersed in this 

living laboratory, students learn experientially that the 

building is a system with many interacting systems and 

components. Teachers can develop curricula around 

the building, such as projects based on energy use 

data. Many ZE school curricular topics fall into STEAM 

subjects, which can prepare students for future STEAM 

courses or careers.

• Healthy, high-performance learning environments.

ZE school buildings are designed to promote health 

and comfort, including excellent indoor air quality, 

thermal comfort, visual comfort, and acoustic comfort. 

Student attendance and teacher retention improve 

in these high-performance learning environments 

(NBI 2017).

• Sound fiscal management of community resources.

ZE schools reduce energy consumption, which 

decreases the school district’s—and, in turn, the 

community’s—exposure to the risk of future energy 

price volatility. ZE schools also have lower maintenance 

costs, because wall, window, and roof systems are more 

durable than standard construction (Torcellini and Pless 

2018a). The cost of designing and building a ZE school 

can be comparable to that of a conventional school, 

which can make a sound business case for ZE. In many 

cases, the money saved on energy costs can be used 

for educational priorities in the operating budget. See 

Resources for Engaging Stakeholders in this step for ZE 

school case studies.

• Sustainability leadership. Building ZE schools 

at costs comparable to traditional buildings 

demonstrates the district’s and community’s 

commitment to environmental sustainability and fiscal 

responsibility. Early adopters demonstrate leadership 

in environmental stewardship and provide a learning 

opportunity for students and community members 

who attend or visit the school. 

• Resiliency. A K–12 school is often a community 

gathering place, and—because of its energy efficiency 

and on-site renewable energy production—can be 

a comfortable refuge during extreme weather events 

and other grid outages. During the day, a ZE school 

Stakeholder Topic

Educators ZE schools provide rich learning environments 

with teaching opportunities in sustainability, 

systems, and innovation, encouraging student 

interest in STEAM subjects.

Students ZE schools support environmental sustainability 

and a high-quality learning environment. ZE 

schools are innovative, and learning in a ZE 

school provides unique opportunities that can 

form the basis of a career in a related field. 

Parents ZE schools are modern learning environments 

that expose students to innovative technologies. 

ZE schools provide healthy, high-performance 

learning environments that support student 

success.

School board 

members

ZE schools offer long-term financial savings in 

energy and operating and maintenance costs 

as well as improved student performance (NBI 

2017).

Members 

of the 

community 

(voters)

ZE schools provide energy and operations and 

maintenance savings over their lifetimes, and 

they mitigate financial risks because construction 

costs can be comparable to traditional buildings 

and ZE schools are not subject to energy price 

volatility. ZE schools can also be comfortable 

refuges during emergencies.

Local 

government 

officials

ZE schools help achieve overall community 

energy goals and demonstrate the community’s 

commitment to sustainability.

Members of 

community 

associations

ZE schools may offer community educational 

opportunities to promote understanding and 

appreciation of the benefits of ZE. In addition, 

schools can be a source of community pride and 

drivers of increased property values.

Table 1. Communication Topics for Specific Stakeholder Groups 
Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders 15

explaining that ZE schools’ design and construction costs 

can be comparable to traditional schools and their energy 

and operating costs can be lower than a traditional 

school’s. In addition, the owner can reassure stakeholders 

that the selected design and construction team has the 

skills and expertise to deliver a ZE school on time and 

within the agreed-upon budget. The owner can also 

recruit the design team to help communicate the 

benefits of a ZE school to stakeholders. 

Different resources can be valuable for engaging 

stakeholders at different times during the process: 

• Case studies are valuable throughout the design 

process but are particularly useful at the beginning so 

that stakeholders can conceptualize the benefits and 

possibilities of ZE schools, making it more likely they 

will support the process (DOE n.d.-a; NBI 2018). See 

also Resources for Engaging Stakeholders in this step

 for ZE school case studies.

• Tours of nearby ZE and ZER schools can be 

powerful tools for engaging stakeholders. If there 

are no ZE or ZER schools in the area, tours of local 

ZE or ZER buildings can raise awareness about ZE. 

For a virtual tour of Discovery Elementary in Arlington, 

Virginia, see Resources for Engaging Stakeholders at the 

end of this step.

• Design charrettes can encourage collaboration 

among stakeholders with different points of view 

and different needs.

• The communication plan guides communication 

with stakeholders throughout the process.

• A knowledgeable architectural and engineering 

design team with experience executing highperformance, energy-efficient design and 

construction can engage stakeholders throughout 

the design process and communicate project 

requirements to contractors.

• The goals contract signed by internal stakeholders 

at the beginning of the design process encourages 

the stakeholders and design team to maintain the 

commitment to ZE goals.

• Subject matter experts can educate team 

members and stakeholders.

Encouraging Stakeholder Collaboration

All stakeholders should be engaged during the planning 

and design of the school building. Design charrettes 

or visioning workshops can be used to bring different 

stakeholders together to establish or solidify ZE goals 

and to integrate these goals into the larger vision for 

the school. These charrettes or workshops are 1- or 

2-day in-person meetings at which stakeholders set 

goals and expected outcomes. The meeting is facilitated 

by the design team or a third party and can uncover 

opportunities and challenges with interactive activities. 

The result of the charrette should be a report that 

documents problems and highlights solutions and 

recommended processes.

Kindergarten students work on a model of their new zero energy school in Baltimore. Photo by 

Grimm + Parker Architects
16 Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders

Partner Snapshot: Engaging Stakeholders 

in Los Angeles, California

In 2003, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) 

passed a resolution titled “Sustainability and the 

Design and Construction of High Performance Schools.” 

Since then, district requirements have been updated 

to incorporate high-performance goals as they are 

established and refined during integrated design team 

workshops. These workshops include practitioners 

of relevant disciplines and a range of stakeholders, 

all of whom impact project design and participate 

in the development and review of the final project 

recommendations.

LAUSD stakeholders provide significant insight and 

input in support of the district’s goal of being ZER 

by guiding district decisions about specific projects. 

They are also key contributors to the overall success 

of the effort. District stakeholders comprise facility 

representatives such as maintenance and operations 

staff; design and standards specifiers; representatives 

from the LAUSD Division of Instruction; building users 

and occupants; design consultants; construction 

representatives; and utility service providers.

ZER goal-setting efforts and the implementation 

of ZER strategies in LAUSD projects call for 

stakeholder engagement. The district has developed 

a comprehensive stakeholder review process 

that coordinates input from architectural, energy, 

sustainability, and other design and engineering 

professionals. This process also includes builder 

feedback throughout project design to ensure 

maximum participation. Over the course of the projects, 

LAUSD facilities teams: 

 Communicate with and involve stakeholders in ZER 

design and construction decisions

 Analyze project progression and performance data

 Set ZER goals based on the performance data

Christos Chrysiliou (far right), LAUSD’s Director of Architectural & Engineering Services, congratulated high school graduates (left to right) Stephen Bailey, Fabian Perez, Gualberto Delgado, and Narek 

Ekmekchyan, who not only completed the district’s Student Energy Auditor Training program, but also earned national certification as Building Analysts. Photo by LAUSD

After learning about safety and security, Student Energy Auditor Training program 

students at LAUSD spend time inspecting HVAC systems and learning how to review and 

collect data. Photo by LAUSD
Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders 17

Resources for Engaging 

Stakeholders

Zero Energy School Videos

Discovery Elementary School video case 

study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_

continue=35&v=2kTS4UODWwc. Short video about 

Discovery Elementary School, a ZE school in 

Arlington, Virginia.

Introduction to ZE buildings: https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=FysJKq5yCfg. Brief introductory ZE buildings 

video from DOE.

Virtual tour of Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School: 

http://www.kinardcares.org/kinard_green_school. Kinard is 

a highly energy-efficient (but not ZE) school building.

School Case Studies

2018 Getting to Zero Status Update and List of Zero 

Energy Projects: https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/

uploads/2018/01/2018_GtZStatusUpdate_201808.pdf. NBI’s 

annual ZE status update and ZE buildings list.

Commercial Buildings Resource Database ZE K–12 school 

case studies: https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/search/

resources/k12casestudy. Case studies of ZE or highperformance schools.

Getting to Zero National Forum school building case 

studies: https://gettingtozeroforum.org/schools/. Case 

studies from a collaborative of ZE building experts 

creating market-based solutions to get to ZE.

Charrette Resources

Getting to Zero: Zero Energy Integrated Design Charrette 

Toolkit for Schools: https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/

uploads/2017/10/ZEProjectGuide_NBI.pdf.pdf. Toolkit with 

templates and customizable documents such as agendas, 

activities for precharrette preparation, discussion topics 

and questions, checklists, and more. 

 Develop strategies and update design 

standards to achieve district-approved 

guidelines or target goals

 Identify resources needed to support those 

strategies, prioritize investments, and align 

the targeted strategies to be incorporated into 

those priorities. 

To integrate ZER into education and instruction, 

there is ongoing collaboration between school 

coordinators and the LAUSD Sustainability 

Initiatives Unit to implement sustainability 

engagement programs that promote 

collaboration, encourage student participation, 

encourage behavior that supports sustainability, 

and increase the overall impact of these efforts. 

For example:

 The HEROES for ZERO Contest2 encourages 

students to engage in activities that help 

make their schools “Zero Net Energy Ready.” 

 The Prop 39 Student Energy Auditor 

Training3 prepares students for future 

energy-related occupations and careers.

 LAUSD emPowered pilots an online teambased interactive energy education program 

in collaboration with the Alliance to Save 

Energy.

Finally, the district is committed to working with 

utility service providers, which offer valuable 

insights about current and future opportunities to 

improve energy efficiency. 

All efforts involving stakeholder engagement 

are consistent with LAUSD’s mission to educate 

Los Angeles youth and empower tomorrow’s 

leaders by providing safe and healthy learning 

spaces that will help students lead the way to a 

sustainable future.

2. http://learninggreen.laschools.org/heroes-for-zero-contest.html

3. http://learninggreen.laschools.org/student-energy-audit-training-seat.

html
18 Step 2: Engaging Stakeholders

A Handbook for Planning and Conducting Charrettes for 

High-Performance Projects: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/

fy09osti/44051.pdf. A guide to planning and conducting 

a gathering of key stakeholders, decision makers, and 

design and construction experts to create a highperformance building.

Other Resources for Engaging Stakeholders

Getting to Zero: Zero Energy Schools Stakeholder 

Engagement and Messaging: https://newbuildings.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/10/GtZ_ZEStakeholderEngagement.

pdf. Guide to stakeholder engagement and messaging for 

ZE schools.

Guide to Community Energy Strategic Planning: https://

energy.gov/eere/slsc/guide-community-energystrategic-planning. See Step Two, “Identify and Engage 

Stakeholders,” in this DOE planning guide.

Updated resources for Step Two: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep2.
Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process 19

STEP THREE 33

Socastee Elementary School in Horry County, South Carolina, has a goal of 

producing 10% more energy than it uses. Photo by Horry County Schools

Including Zero 

Energy Goals in the 

Procurement Process

The procurement process is the method used to 

purchase the goods and services required to design, 

construct, and operate a building. Most purchased 

items—appliances or tools, for example—are 

complete, discrete units and the design, engineering, 

and manufacturing costs are built into the price. 

Procuring a building is different—it is a highly 

involved, customized process involving a number 

of players. Producing a ZE school on a conventional 

school budget requires an integrative design 

approach that considers each strategy, system, 

and component from the perspective of an overall 

goal, namely achieving an EUI low enough that the 

building’s energy needs can be met with an on-site 

renewable energy system.
20 Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process

To achieve ZE, school owners should make ZE a written 

goal in their procurement processes. To accomplish 

that, owners set energy performance goals for a project 

and implement them with a procurement process 

that prioritizes the goals within budgetary constraints. 

Procurement processes should take full advantage of the 

creativity and problem-solving skills of the design and 

contractor teams to deliver schools that meet or exceed 

the performance objectives.

Although it can be challenging, school districts should 

align their procurement practices to prioritize energy 

efficiency along with critical educational priorities. Every 

school district has policies that outline their procurement 

process. These vary greatly, so school owners can modify 

the suggestions in this step to accommodate local norms 

and practices.

Procurement best practices for K–12 ZE schools fall into 

the following high-level categories, listed in order of 

importance and described in detail below:

• Establish a target EUI, usually measured in kBtu/ft2·yr.

• Select contractors based on their ability to meet 

or exceed performance goals within the project’s 

budgetary constraints.

• Identify the programmatic requirements for the 

building along with energy and other performancebased goals.

• Implement a procurement process that evaluates 

contractors based on a prioritized list of goals 

established by the school owner.

• Ensure the project team is committed to the 

energy goals.

Establish a Target Energy Use 

Intensity and Include It in the 

Procurement Documents

The objective of a target EUI goal is to deliver a building 

that provides all necessary services and maintains 

comfort using as little energy as possible within a fixed 

project budget. Establishing an energy goal and a fixed 

budget at the beginning of the project enables the 

design team and contractor to create solutions that meet 

both programmatic needs and energy goals. Ideally, the 

school owner establishes an EUI goal at the beginning 

of the process and includes it in the RFP. This EUI goal is 

included in the contract and maintained through design, 

construction, and operations. 

Establishing the EUI goal is not standard practice for most 

projects, even ones that are built as “green” or “energyefficient.” Typically, an energy projection is calculated 

after the design is substantially complete, and energy 

performance is a result of the design process. In a ZE 

school project, energy performance is a driver of the 

design process.

Energy goals can be established and validated several 

ways, and the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018) is a good 

starting point. In this publication, computer models 

combined with actual building case studies were used to 

create energy goals for a ZER school—a school so energyefficient that on-site renewables could meet its energy 

loads. Several case studies have shown that these goals 

are achievable across different climate zones (DOE n.d.-a; 

NBI 2018). To establish the target EUI:

• Use the recommended values from Table 2, which is 

taken from the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, Table 3-1, 

p. 34). Demonstrate to internal stakeholders that the EUI 

targets are attainable by providing case studies of similar 

schools that achieved low EUIs (DOE n.d.-a; NBI 2018).

• Determine whether any specialty functions will 

be needed and add these uses to the energy total. 

Examples include swimming pools, ice rinks, televisionquality lighting for sports fields, laboratories, technical 

education centers, and other spaces with higher energy 

and ventilation requirements. 

• Adjust the EUI goal down where possible to achieve 

higher efficiencies, further reducing the size and cost of 

the on-site renewable generation required to meet the 

building’s energy loads.

Note that both site energy and source energy values are 

listed in Table 2. The DOE definition of a ZE building is 

“An energy-efficient building where, on a source energy 

basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than 

or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy.” 

Thus, when energy purchased from the electrical grid 

is consumed on-site, site energy is converted to source 

energy to account for the energy consumed in the 

extraction, processing, and transport of primary fuels 

such as coal, oil, and natural gas; energy losses in thermal 
Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process 21

combustion in power generation plants; and energy 

losses in transmission and distribution to the building 

site (DOE 2015). This conversion also applies to other 

energy sources delivered to the site (natural gas, fuel oil, 

propane, or firewood, for example).

Other guidance for establishing a target EUI includes:

• Give designers and contractors the flexibility to create 

solutions that meet the performance targets without 

adding significant additional cost or risk.

• Instead of percent reductions compared with a baseline 

building or existing building code, use whole-building 

absolute energy use targets. This strategy provides 

clear energy performance goals that leave no room 

for interpretation. Percent reduction goals require 

Climate Zone

Site Energy Source Energy

Primary School EUI 

(kBtu/ft2·yr)

Secondary School EUI 

(kBtu/ft2·yr)

Primary School EUI 

(kBtu/ft2·yr)

Secondary School EUI 

(kBtu/ft2·yr)

0A 22.5 22.9 69.1 70.5

0B 23.1 23.2 71.4 71.6

1A 21.3 21.1 65.5 65.0

1B 21.7 21.6 66.6 66.6

2A 20.9 21.3 63.8 65.1

2B 19.6 19.9 59.7 60.8

3A 18.8 19.1 56.7 57.7

3B 19.0 19.4 57.3 58.8

3C 17.5 17.6 52.6 52.8

4A 18.8 18.9 56.3 56.7

4B 18.4 18.5 55.1 55.5

4C 17.5 17.6 51.9 52.3

5A 19.2 19.1 57.1 56.9

5B 18.7 19.0 55.6 56.6

5C 17.4 17.6 49.7 52.3

6A 21.1 20.6 62.8 61.2

6B 19.5 19.5 57.9 57.9

7 22.3 21.5 66.2 63.7

8 25.2 23.8 71.1 70.7

Table 2. Target Energy Use Intensity by Climate Zone

a baseline to be established, which can be timeconsuming and can reduce the incentive to create 

energy-efficient buildings. Absolute energy targets 

are also preferable because they easily translate into 

performance targets that facility managers can use 

once the building is operating. 

• Create target levels of energy efficiency and prioritize 

with the other building goals (see Figure 2). Then 

have contractors compete to develop the most 

comprehensive solution for the available budget.

• Define energy boundaries for energy consumption and 

generation at the facility. A common boundary is the 

property line, including areas covered by utility meters 

or fuel deliveries. 

To determine the locations of the climate zones in Table 2, refer to the climate zone map in the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, Figure 3-2, p. 35).
22 Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process

• Establish school district and campus energy efficiency 

priorities through the development of an energy 

master plan.

• Include a requirement for energy modeling throughout 

the design process and use it to design the building 

to meet the target EUI. Also require an as-built energy 

model to show that the energy goal has been met. 

• Use the energy model as an operational tool. Variations 

in the actual performance can be reported as warranty 

claims for the contractor to correct.

Select Contractors Who Can 

Meet or Exceed Performance 

Goals within the Budget

The integration of energy goals is easier in some 

procurement processes than in others. The school owner 

should hire designers and construction contractors 

who understand and are committed to achieving the 

energy goal (see also Step Four). Contracts for design 

and construction should include energy and other 

performance criteria. When ZE is a school goal, selection 

of the design and construction team should be based on 

qualifications and best value. Selecting the lowest bid is 

less likely to result in a design and construction team that 

can deliver a ZE operational performance goal.

Design-bid-build (DBB), construction manager at risk 

(CMAR), and design-build (DB) are three project delivery 

methods often used to design and build schools. For a 

discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of these 

delivery methods in a ZE building project, see Pless et 

al. 2012 (p. 9–17) and the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, 

p. 24–26). 

Energy-related goals can be inserted into all three, but 

for the most effective process, the building owner should 

consider a performance-based design-build procurement 

process (DBIA 2009; Idaho 2014; Pless et al. 2012). With 

this delivery method, the owner is more likely to achieve 

a ZE building at a cost comparable to a traditional highperformance building by requiring that the project 

team deliver a building that meets the energy and other 

performance-based goals for a firm fixed price. 

Identify Programmatic 

Requirements and Energy 

Performance-Based Goals 

School owners should clearly describe the problems they 

would like the architect and engineers to solve. The RFP 

should include objectives that address the problems, but 

the objectives should not be so specific that they could 

overly constrain the design team. Allow the design team 

the freedom to use its problem-solving skills to develop 

creative solutions. The building owner should avoid 

using prescriptive solutions in the RFP because these 

will place unnecessary constraints on the designers 

and contractors. 

The school owner’s problem definition is the expression 

of need. It helps get to what is necessary and what could 

be optional. For example, a current school building may 

be costly to maintain. The school district may need a new 

building with low operating costs, reducing the district’s 

financial exposure to potentially volatile energy costs. 

At the same time, the building must provide a superior 

learning environment.

The building owner can use this problem definition to 

determine the goals the designer and contractor must 

meet. A ZE goal could be used to reduce the district’s 

exposure to volatile energy costs. The RFP objectives 

should include the EUI goal and must be measurable.

The RFP should also include a fixed budget. The selected 

design team should be able to meet the EUI goal within 

the fixed budget.

Implement the 

Procurement Process

Evaluate responses to the RFP based on a prioritized list 

of goals established by the owner and organized into 

tiers. A tiered goal structure can be used with any delivery 

method; when it’s used with the design-build delivery 

method, however, it increases the likelihood of achieving 

ZE (Pless et al. 2012). The tiered EUI goals communicate 

the owner’s project objective priorities to bidders. The 

tiered approach includes a critical must-have energy 

goal as well as harder-to-achieve optional goals. Both 

goals can be included in the list, and contractors can 
Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process 23

compete based on how many goals they can meet for the 

predetermined budget. 

The owner can include energy goals and other needs in 

an objectives checklist sorted into the following tiers:

• Mission critical. Required by the contract; include at 

least one specific energy-related goal—such as ZE—in 

this section.

• Highly desirable. Not required by the contract but 

weighted heavily during the design-build team 

selection process. If not mission critical, general 

sustainability goals or aggressive EUI targets can be 

included in this section.

• If possible. Not required by the contract but can help 

identify the successful design-build team if a number of 

design competition submittals are similar. This is a 

good place for including goals such as highly 

aggressive EUIs.

These goals should be measurable. The owner needs 

to fully commit to these objectives so that the designbuild process can address needs in a cost-effective and 

integrated manner. Figure 2 contains an objectives 

checklist developed by NREL when it was procuring its 

Research Support Facility (RSF), a 350,000 ft2 ZE office 

building in Golden, Colorado (DOE n.d.-b); the checklist is 

modified for an example school.

Sample Project Objectives Checklist Using a Tiered Goal Structure 

Zero Energy K–12 School Building

These are examples of energy-specific performance 

objectives; add others as appropriate:

Mission Critical 

 Establish safe work performance/safe 

design practices 

 Achieve top certification under third-party 

verified green building rating systems, such as 

CHPS Verified Leader or Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum 

 Attain ENERGY STAR® score of 100

Highly Desirable 

 Accommodate up to 800 student plus staff 

capacity

 Operate at 25 kBtu/ft2·yr

 Ensure architectural integrity

 Honor the needs of future students and staff 

 Support multiple uses, culture, and amenities 

 Create an expandable building 

 Include ergonomics and responsive features

 Design flexible learning spaces 

 Support future learning technologies 

and pedagogies

 Provide documentation to produce a 

“how to” manual 

 Develop a public relations campaign 

implemented in real time for benefit of school 

and design-build team 

 Allow secure collaboration with outsiders 

 Provide building information modeling 

 Achieve substantial completion by 

[anticipated date] 

If Possible

 Achieve the EUI target for ZER or create a 

ZE building

 Attain 50% reduction from ASHRAE 90.1-2016 

 Incorporate visual displays of current 

energy efficiency 

 Achieve national and global recognition 

Figure 2. Objectives checklist for an example school 
24 Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process

Partner Snapshot: Including Zero Energy 

Goals in the Procurement Process in 

Douglas County, Colorado 

The Douglas County School District (DCSD) in 

Colorado has a strong commitment to sustainability 

and green building goals. As a ZESA partner, DCSD 

is also committed to building and operating ZE 

school buildings.

In November 2018, Douglas County voters approved 

a mill levy override that allows the collection of 

additional “mills” on property taxes beyond what is 

allowed by the state of Colorado and a bond measure 

that, among other things, supports the construction 

of new schools to address community growth. These 

successful ballot issues provide funding for DCSD’s 

sustainability and ZE efforts.

To advance those efforts, DCSD developed a request 

for qualification (RFQ) to ensure that the chosen 

project team will have the appropriate background to 

successfully complete the ZE project. The requirements 

in the RFQ are not exhaustive, but they do provide 

guidance for design and construction professionals 

interested in being involved with the ZE project.

For new construction, all new schools and buildings will 

be designed according to US-CHPS criteria4 and/or LEED 

v4 for School Buildings,5 as applicable. In addition, all 

new buildings will be designed to be ZE or ZER, with a 

target EUI of 25 kBtu/ft2·yr or better. 

All major renovation projects will also use US-CHPS 

criteria and/or LEED v4 for School Buildings as guidelines 

in design. Schools doing major energy retrofits will 

reduce existing average EUIs to the following targets:

 High schools: 40 kBtu/ft2·yr

 Middle schools: 35 kBtu/ft2·yr

 Elementary schools: 35 kBtu/ft2·yr.

Each project will be assessed for energy performance, 

targeting a 20% or greater reduction in energy use for 

systems and components where applicable. Energy 

modeling as well as commissioning of mechanical 

systems will be required to ensure all systems 

are performing optimally. Upgrades must boost 

sustainability, including installing LED lighting in some 

locations, particularly gyms; replacing old, inefficient 

boilers with efficient models; replacing windows; 

and installing or replacing pipe insulation. New roof 

structures and membrane replacement will be designed 

to be solar-ready, and schools should work with DCSD to 

properly uninstall and reinstall existing solar panels on 

reroof projects.

Last but not least, projects should support the DCSD 

educational mission by striving to incorporate teachable 

moments through, for example, developing lessons 

around the construction work in the school and the 

energy-efficient or sustainable features; designing 

features that teach, such as a green wall; and including 

student groups in the design and construction process.

4. https://chps.net/sites/default/files/US-CHPS__Criteria_2014_2016%20

update_170706.pdf 

5. https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/leed-v4-school-buildings-rv10647aw-5076918

Teams of students at Sage Canyon Elementary School in Castle Rock, Colorado, created working 

renewable energy displays (this one is hydropower) for an energy expo open to the school and 

parents. Photo by Beth Church, DCSD
Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process 25

• Team members comfortable using a collaborative, 

iterative process to:

» Develop detailed analyses for setting project goals 

and energy performance goals during predesign

» Cycle between data analysis, building simulation, 

and design to optimize the design; this iteration 

should be carried into postoccupancy as occupants 

determine the most energy-efficient ways to operate 

the building.

Procuring a ZE school requires that all project team 

members commit to achieving ZE. Ideally, the ZE goal 

is written into all contracts, but regardless of whether 

they are contractually obligated to meet the ZE goal, the 

selected architects and engineers should have a strategy 

for meeting the EUI goal and a commitment to executing 

that strategy. 

Although it is an advantage for a design team to have 

expertise in creating ZE schools, it is not an absolute 

Ensure the Project Team Is 

Committed to the Energy Goals

The project team consists of the architects, engineers, 

contractor, key subcontractors, key stakeholders, 

commissioning agent, and others, and can include the 

school owner and the owner’s representatives. The school 

owner develops key project requirements and an energy 

goal, drafts the RFP, reviews proposals, and selects the 

successful proposal.

Others who might be involved in ensuring the project 

team’s commitment to the ZE goal include:

• ZE champions who encourage the use of integrative 

design and the modification of legacy procurement 

practices to achieve ZE

• Team members with building energy 

modeling expertise

The gym at Boulder Valley School District's Douglass Elementary School uses daylighting to reduce the need for electric lighting. Photo by RTA Architects, David Lauer Photography
26 Step 3: Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement Process

necessity. As ZE buildings become more common, more 

design and construction professionals will be familiar 

with the details of achieving low EUIs within fixed project 

budgets. Until then, building professionals, end users, 

and stakeholders need to be educated and involved in 

the design process to ensure the building achieves ZE 

during operation. An integrated design approach has 

proved effective in bringing all the players together to 

work iteratively and collaboratively from the beginning 

of the process.

Resources for Including 

Zero Energy Goals in the 

Procurement Process 

Alternative Project Delivery (from Idaho Transportation 

Department Innovative Contracting Unit): https://itd.

idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/Alternative-ProjectDelivery-Workshop-2014-05-14.pdf. PowerPoint 

presentation on design-build and other project 

delivery methods.

The Design-Build Process for the Research Support Facility: 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1309. Indepth look at how DOE and NREL used a performancebased design-build process to design, build, and operate 

a ZE office building.

An Energy-Performance-Based Design-Build Process:

Strategies for Procuring High-Performance Buildings 

on Typical Construction Budgets: Preprint: https://

buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1640. 

Information on the importance of defining 

measurable energy efficiency at the beginning of a 

project to ensure building performance.

How-To Guide for Energy-Performance-Based Procurement: 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1310. 

Background on the importance of establishing 

measurable performance-based energy goals from the 

beginning of a project and guidance on maintaining 

those goals throughout the process. 

Realizing High-Performance Buildings: How to Maintain 

Energy-Efficient Design Intent During Building Operation: 

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/62530.pdf. Guide to 

critical aspects of building operations in very energyefficient buildings focused on specific building systems.

Zero Energy Schools: The Challenges: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/resource/2487. A fact sheet on how 

school districts and their design and construction 

teams have overcome challenges to achieving ZE in 

school buildings.

Updated resources for Step Three: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep3.
4

In addition to working toward achieving zero energy, Douglass Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado, provides a 

bright, inviting teaching and learning environment. Photo by RTA Architects, David Lauer Photography

Selecting a Design 

and Construction 

Team Committed to 

Zero Energy Goals

In this step, the school owner focuses on 

implementing a procurement process and selecting 

a team that can design and construct a ZE building 

within the project budget. Much of this step involves 

vetting prospective project team members, which 

include architects, engineers, construction firms, or 

combinations of these building professionals. During 

the competitive selection process, the school owner 

conducts interviews to gain insight into whether 

the candidates have the requisite experience and 

expertise to deliver a ZE building.

STEP FOUR
28 Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals

Before awarding the contract, school owners should 

question their selected bidder or bidders to ensure 

they can deliver a building that achieves the objectives 

outlined in the checklist in the RFP. Different school 

districts use different procurement processes, and some 

are more constrained by procurement requirements 

than others. The nature of the questions owners ask may 

shift depending on the procurement process used. If 

the owner used a tiered approach in the RFP, the bidder 

must meet the mission critical objectives. Bidders can 

then be evaluated on the number of highly desirable and 

if possible objectives they can deliver within the budget. 

(See Step Three for an example of an owner’s objectives 

checklist [Figure 2] and definitions of terms.)

In design-bid-build, the interview questions should be 

directed to the design team and focused on determining 

whether it can deliver construction documents for a 

school that can be built for the allocated budget and 

meet the ZE goal. 

In construction manager at risk, the responsibility to 

deliver construction documents still rests with the design 

team; however, the construction manager provides input 

during the design process to ensure that the building 

can be constructed within the budget. Here, questions 

focus on the ability of the two entities to work together 

to achieve the goals even though they may have no 

contractual ties.

For design-build, the contract is with the contractor, 

creating a single point of accountability. The owner 

focuses on the contractor’s ability to supervise the design 

and deliver the entire project on budget while meeting 

performance goals. 

The selected bidder should demonstrate an ability to 

address energy goals in the earliest design stages. This 

approach will allow the designer to achieve energy 

goals at a lower cost than “adding on” energy efficiency 

measures at the end of design process. Considering 

energy efficiency elements early can also impact other 

design decisions and the systems necessary to support 

building operations, creating opportunities for cost 

savings. The most effective strategies from both an 

operational and cost perspective are integrated into the 

architecture of the school building. (See Design Strategies 

in this step for more detail on passive and simple energy 

efficiency strategies.)

Table 3 includes interview questions to help school 

owners evaluate bidders—one of which will be the future 

project team (described in Figure 1)—and select the team 

that is most likely to achieve the energy and building 

performance goals. The Guidance for the School Owner 

column provides guidance for evaluating the bidder’s 

response. This column could include examples of answers 

that show competence or weaknesses. A checkmark in 

the last three columns indicates whether the questions 

are appropriate for the DB, DBB, or CMAR project delivery 

mechanisms. When using design-build, the bidder is 

usually a contractor. In instances of design-bid-build, 

the bidder is a design team (architect and engineer). 

With construction manager at risk, the bidder is the 

construction manager and the design team. 

The questions in Table 3 are divided into energy goalrelated and nonenergy questions. The questions are 

intended as a small representative sample set that may 

provide insight into some energy aspects, but they are 

not intended to be a comprehensive interview question 

list.

Other Strategies for Selecting a 

Design and Construction Team

Below are descriptions of best practices for selecting 

a design team/contractor that building owners 

should consider:

• Write calculation methods into the RFP that bidders 

should use to demonstrate how their design performs 

against project objectives/measurable goals. These can 

be described in the RFP’s appendix. These calculation 

methods are energy calculations and modeling 

approaches that can be applied to any solution. 

One example is requiring that an energy model be 

developed and used throughout the design process. 

• Write measurable energy performance goals into 

contracts to incentivize the contractor to achieve the 

energy goal. The contract can contain assurances from 

the contractor or architect that the energy goal will 

be met. Part of the payment could be withheld until 

building performance is substantiated. After a year 

(or more) of operation, energy data can be used to 

determine if the building is meeting the energy goal. If 

it is, the contractor receives the incentive payment.
Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals 29

Interview Question Guidance for the School Owner DB DBB CMAR

Energy goal-related questions (in order of importance)

Explain how the energy goals 

in the RFP will be met.

Alternative question (if no energy goals 

are in the RFP/objectives checklist):

What should the energy 

goals be for this project?

What quantity of on-site renewables 

will it take to achieve ZE?

The bidder should be able to reiterate the energy goals, know 

how to measure them, and understand that meeting energy 

goals is a key determinant of project success. 

If it’s up to the designers to set the energy goal, they should 

be able to ballpark the EUI during the interview. The correct 

response will be around 20–25 kBtu/ft2·yr or less. They should 

be able to discuss the strategies and infrastructure required for 

on-site renewables, including utility connections. They should 

be familiar with possible alternative financing mechanisms. 

Can the bidder show examples of previous work that is 

consistent with or better than these energy numbers? At a 

minimum, bidders should have measured EUIs from previous 

projects.

X X X

How should energy goal success 

be measured? Can those energy 

goals be guaranteed?

Substantiation of energy performance is critical for meeting 

energy goals. Energy goals are either articulated as part of the 

owner RFP or by the design team. Ideal goals are measurable at 

the site or building meter, such as kBtu/ft2·yr. 

Teams can offer to substantiate energy goals by developing 

energy models and keeping those models updated throughout 

construction. In some cases, teams will offer to guarantee 

performance for a year (or more). (Guaranteed performance 

can be harder to enforce contractually than substantiated 

models.)

X X X

How will the project be managed 

to ensure energy goals are met?

Alternative question:

How will the team build a ZE 

school within the budget?

Teams should describe how energy modeling will affect and 

can guide the architectural design (including the building 

envelope) as well as the mechanical and electrical systems. 

Teams should describe how energy feature costs will be 

balanced with other costs to arrive at a solution that is within 

the budget.

X X X

How will the team ensure that this 

school building will have low utility bills 

after commissioning and during the next 

30 years?

Durability and operational longevity should be part of the 

design. Simplicity of systems is also important. The design team 

must show that its solutions can be easily maintained, given 

the owner’s maintenance budgets and expertise. For example, 

solutions such as increased insulation are more robust than 

complex heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) 

systems.

X X X

How will the design team know that the 

contractor selected to build the design will 

meet the budget?

The contractor should provide assurance that it can construct 

the building as designed for its bid price. Owners need to make 

it clear that they will not change the intent of the plans even 

when the contractor can show the change(s) will result in cost 

savings (often with an energy penalty).

X X

How can the school owner be assured 

that the team is representing the owner’s 

interests to meet programmatic needs and 

established energy goals?

Bidders will always indicate that they are meeting the 

interests of the owner. They should provide references and 

those references should verify that bidders met or exceeded 

measurable project goals such as energy use in past projects. 

X X X

How can the school owner be assured 

that the construction team will produce a 

quality building?

The bidder should describe incentives it will use to ensure 

that the construction team builds the building according 

to the plans and that the building meets energy and other 

measurable goals.

X X

Describe other school projects the team 

has designed and built that have met 

energy performance targets. Describe 

those targets and the processes used to 

meet them.

Alternative question:

Describe examples of low-EUI school 

buildings the team has designed that were 

built within a fixed budget.

The projects should have measurable goals such as an EUI 

target, ZE, or a percent energy reduction relative to a code or 

standard. The bidder could provide examples of how it would 

meet a rating system. Building owners should use caution 

to ensure that the rating system meets their requirements. 

Trading off green materials for long-term energy efficiency is 

not advised.

X X X

Table 3. Evaluating Project Teams
30 Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals

Interview Question Guidance for the School Owner DB DBB CMAR

Energy goal-related questions (in order of importance)

Describe a project that used a design-build 

approach with performance-based targets 

to design and construct a school building 

with a specified energy goal. 

Follow-up question:

Describe the process the team used to 

meet an energy goal within a fixed budget.

Examples of actual building energy performance (case studies) 

within a budget should be discussed.

X

How will the team ensure that energy goals 

remain a central focus throughout the 

building delivery process?

Energy models should be updated from concept to completion 

and should demonstrate that energy goals continue to be met. 

Construction flaws can also be modeled (e.g., poor insulation 

installation). If a material substitution is needed, then it can also 

be modeled to determine that it doesn’t adversely impact the 

energy budget, a process similar to assessing impacts within a 

fixed cost budget.

X X

Discuss strategies the team will use to 

achieve the energy goal.

For detailed guidance on a few strategies, see the Design 

Strategies section in this step.

X X X

Nonenergy Questions

How does the building design enhance the 

learning environment?

The first priority for any school is optimizing the learning 

environment for students. Energy efficiency and energy goals 

can enhance that learning environment by, for example, 

integrating energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies 

into the curriculum to make the building a living laboratory, 

using the money saved through reduced energy use to 

enrich educational programs, providing a healthier indoor 

environment through daylighting and better air quality, and 

improving students' overall educational experience with a 

beautiful and functional building design.

X X X

What are the potential risks associated 

with the design? How will those risks be 

mitigated?

What will the contractor do if the owner’s goals are not met 

(energy and others)? How is risk minimized?

X X X

How will the constructability of the design 

be ensured during the design process? 

Work with manufacturers to ensure success; provide examples 

of strategies being successfully employed on other projects.

X

Describe any potential safety hazards and 

how the team will address those hazards.

Examples might include installing equipment in hard-toaccess locations, PV panels near roof edges, etc. Ideally, design 

solutions would minimize risk broadly, including routine 

maintenance. (Can all the filters be easily changed? Can HVAC 

equipment be replaced without intruding into classrooms and 

other occupied parts of the building?)

X X X

How can reducing safety hazards be tied to 

the energy performance of the building?

Integration is key. A better thermal envelope might mean 

less rooftop equipment. Dedicated mechanical rooms mean 

no rooftop HVAC maintenance as well as better energy 

performance and clear roofs for PV systems.

X X X

Describe how the team will work with 

various stakeholders in the school district 

to meet the performance goals.

Give examples in which there was a stakeholder issue and a 

win-win solution resulted.

X X X

What are some examples of nonenergy 

benefits of energy efficiency strategies?

The bidder should be able to articulate the nonenergy costs 

and benefits of energy efficiency strategies. For example, 

a window system can provide ventilation, view glass, and 

daylighting. The bidder could describe the benefits of good 

air quality, full-spectrum lighting, and thermal comfort that 

can result from tight, well-insulated envelopes and reduced 

ductwork.

X X X

The last three columns are DB (design-build), DBB (design-bid-build), and CMAR (construction manager at risk). 
Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals 31

• Select a bidder with the expertise to develop 

computer energy models of the proposed building 

and use the models throughout the design and into 

operation to ensure the building is meeting energy 

goals. Energy modeling can be used by the designer 

to determine and refine energy efficiency strategies 

integrated into the building envelope and structure, 

such as daylighting, thermal mass distribution, natural 

ventilation, and solar shading. It can also be used 

to assess active energy efficiency strategies and to 

understand the thermal-physical dynamics and tradeoffs that systems have on one another.

• Require that the successful bidder have the expertise 

to develop energy models of the as-built building to 

substantiate that the contractual energy requirements 

are met. The bidder should also have the expertise to 

update the energy model with operational sequences 

and occupancy schedules during building operation 

and compare the model output with submetered 

energy use data to determine where the model is 

accurate and where it is not.

Design Strategies

The selected design/contractor team should be able 

to articulate best practice design strategies related to 

performance-based design and energy efficiency. The 

school owner should look for a designer/contractor 

team that:

• Articulates the nonenergy-related costs and 

benefits of energy efficiency strategies. Although 

the RFP will focus on energy efficiency, the design 

team should be able to describe non-energy costs 

and benefits to stakeholders, who may care less about 

energy efficiency and more about the non-energy 

benefits. For example, when NREL constructed the RSF, 

18 centrally located network-connected high-quality 

printers were installed and 300 individual desktopconnected printers were removed. This not only 

reduced the plug loads (an energy-related benefit), but 

also provided building occupants with well-serviced 

printers, a nonenergy-related benefit. The consolidation 

also reduced the variety of ink and toner cartridges 

NREL purchased, saving money because of economies 

of scale, a second non energy benefit.

• Understands that modular or repeated design 

strategies are ways to save money on construction 

costs. Highly replicable building-block modules 

are the most cost-effective design and construction 

strategies. Taking advantage of this will help reduce 

costs. In contrast, unique space types or design 

elements add cost. If a space type or building feature 

can be replicated, then doing so can save money. For 

example, designing classrooms on the same side of a 

building to have the same basic structure and windows 

will reduce design and construction costs. These can 

be designed as modules with identical features (e.g., 

lighting/controls/windows). Construction costs can be 

minimized if modules are produced off-site and then 

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Research Support Facility is a zero energy office building that cost the same to build as a conventional building. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 45244
32 Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals

Partner Shapshot: Selecting a Design and 

Construction Team Committed to Zero 

Energy in Hermosa Beach, California

Sustainability is important to the school district in 

Hermosa Beach, California, a small seaside town in Los 

Angeles County. When, in June 2016, the community 

passed a $59 million facilities improvement bond 

with 59% of the vote to address its overcrowded and 

outdated educational facilities, the opportunity to 

create a ZE campus and maximize energy efficiency for 

its other schools was a high priority. The passage of the 

bond created the Measure S School Facilities Project, 

which funded the reconstruction of Hermosa North 

School as well as renovations to Hermosa Valley School 

and the modernization and some new construction at 

Hermosa View School.6 

District officials knew that selecting a design and 

construction team committed to ZE goals would be 

especially important for North School, a new elementary 

school to be built on the site of an existing school that 

had been closed for decades. They wanted North School 

to be a sustainability showcase and a rich learning 

environment in which students could explore and 

understand the features and benefits of a ZE school. 

Measure S was developed over many years and 

reflects extensive input from the community (for more 

information on engaging stakeholders, see Step Two in 

this document). Before they issued an RFP, the district 

rallied community resources, including sustainability 

advocates, elected officials, and interested community 

members and involved them in the solicitation and 

interview process for the design team.

To demonstrate the required experience, the district 

asked respondents to provide examples of previous 

ZE and energy-efficient projects. The successful firm, 

SVA Architects, had completed the ZE Downtown 

Educational Complex for Oakland Unified School District 

and the University of California at Davis West Campus 

Village, a large ZE student housing development. 

During the finalists’ interviews, the district and 

community members on the interview panel asked 

follow-up questions about the ZE design process and 

the lessons from those projects that could be applied 

to the Hermosa sites. The district also ensured that the 

architects’ engineering consultants had the necessary 

experience and expertise to design the mechanical, 

electrical, and plumbing systems required for a ZE school.

After it selected the design team, the district ensured 

that the ZE goals for the sites were included in the 

contract language. In addition, it incorporated the 

additional energy modeling required to verify that the 

projects would achieve their ZE goals within the scope 

of the design services.

6. https://hbcsd.org/District/Department/22090-Measure-S

Thanks to community support for a facilities improvement bond in Hermosa Beach, California, Hermosa North School will be reconstructed as a zero energy school. Image by SVA Architects, Inc. 
Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals 33

transported to the site for installation. Repeatability 

allows the module’s construction processes to be 

replicated, eliminating the need to develop different 

processes to construct rooms with varying features.

• Explains the importance of simple and passive 

energy efficiency strategies. The designer should 

strive to reduce long-term maintenance costs where 

possible by specifying simple, durable, passive systems 

with low life cycle costs. Examples include effective 

thermal envelopes, thermal mass, daylighting and 

reduced lighting power density, and overhangs for 

shading. In addition, right-sizing HVAC systems is a 

simple strategy for reducing cost and energy use.

• Includes equipment with best-in-class energy 

efficiency. The designer should be knowledgeable 

about commercially available energy-efficient 

equipment and have experience integrating it into 

buildings and developing procurement guides for 

future equipment purchases. 

• Solicits input on the constructability of the design.

Early in the process, the designer should solicit input 

from construction experts about whether the design 

can be built within the construction budget. 

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges when selecting a team 

or teams to design and build a ZE school is ensuring 

that the energy goals are considered throughout the 

design and construction process. In design-bid-build, for 

example, designers (architects and engineers) estimate 

construction costs during the design process. If the 

construction contractor’s estimate is higher than the 

designer’s, the design may have to be modified to meet 

the budget. Equipment included in the design expressly 

to meet energy goals may have higher up-front costs 

than less energy-efficient choices. Switching the energyefficient options for the less energy-efficient options to 

meet the budget could ruin the building’s chances of 

meeting EUI targets, and, in turn, achieving ZE. School 

owners should be aware of these trade-offs and put 

processes in place that prevent these energy efficiency 

compromises. One strategy is to use a performancebased DB process that requires the DB team to deliver a 

ZE building at a fixed price. 

St. James Intermediate School in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which opened in August 2017, serves fifth and sixth grades and has a goal of producing 10% more energy than it uses. 

Photo by Horry County Schools
34 Step 4: Selecting a Design and Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals

Resources for Selecting a Design 

and Construction Team 

An Energy-Performance-Based Design-Build Process: 

Strategies for Procuring High-Performance Buildings on 

Typical Construction Budgets: Preprint: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1640. Information on the 

importance of choosing a design team committed to the 

project goals.

How-To Guide for Energy-Performance-Based Procurement: 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1310. 

Information on integrating the owner, design team, 

builder, estimators, subcontractors, commissioning agent, 

and others from the beginning of a project.

Zero Energy Schools: Architects Take the Lead: https://

buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/node/2491. Fact sheet on 

the importance of hiring a project team committed to 

meeting the ZE goal.

Updated resources for Step Four: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep4.

Partner Snapshot: 
Integrating Zero 

Energy Goals into 

Design

Aspects of the design—such as orientation, 

placement of windows for daylighting, and 

airtightness of the envelope—are all important, but 

these strategies alone may not be enough to achieve 

ZE. Building occupants’ energy-saving behavior 

also plays a key role. Accordingly, design teams 

5

should work to understand how their design choices 

influence occupant behavior. Designing a building 

to be easy and intuitive to understand and operate 

improves the likelihood that occupant behavior will 

support the achievement and maintenance of ZE.

STEP FIVE

Douglass Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado, is pursuing zero 

energy status. Photo by RTA Architects, David Lauer Photography 
36 Step 5: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design

Design Considerations

Aspects of the design—such as orientation, placement 

of windows for daylighting, and airtightness of the 

envelope—are all important, but these strategies alone 

may not be enough to achieve ZE. Building occupants’ 

energy-saving behavior also plays a key role. Accordingly, 

design teams should work to understand how their 

design choices influence occupant behavior. Designing 

a building to be easy and intuitive to understand and 

operate improves the likelihood that occupant behavior 

will support the achievement and maintenance of ZE. 

For example, designs can place stairs in the line of sight 

from the entranceway and place elevators out of the line 

of sight. If the stairs are visible from the entrance and the 

elevator is less noticeable, occupants who only need to 

go up one or two flights may opt to take the stairs rather 

than spending time looking for the elevator.

In addition, easily accessible light switches with simple 

on/off operation give occupants control over light levels. 

Complicated light switches frustrate users and lead them 

to override lighting controls, defeating the purpose of 

an energy-efficient lighting system. Lighting systems 

can have manual on/off controls, with a sweep function 

for after-hours shutdown. This preserves user control 

features while adding measures to prevent wasting 

electricity on unnecessary lighting during periods when 

the building is unoccupied.

Mechanized windows—windows connected to a 

motor and a controller that are programmed to open 

automatically when the outside weather conditions are 

ideal—can also save energy. Through this strategy, the 

building can be quickly cooled and naturally ventilated 

without any action on the part of the occupants. 

Windows can also be manual as long as occupants are 

trained in their use and the school cultivates a culture 

that supports proper operation.

The design can also use signs and other features that 

display information about the energy use, energy 

production, and energy efficiency features of the school. 

These can be energy dashboards, information placards, 

tours, and even see-through walls and/or floors that give 

occupants and visitors a view of building systems.

Specifying submeters that measure energy end uses 

makes it easy to monitor building energy use on a 

granular level. Energy dashboards show students, 

teachers, and visitors the school’s energy use and 

production. A dashboard can display building energy use 

or data from the submeters in real time so that occupants 

can become familiar with the energy use patterns in the 

school and get involved in maintaining and improving 

the school’s energy performance. Dashboards should be 

appropriate for the school’s grade levels and available 

online. The energy dashboard communicates to all that 

energy efficiency is a school community priority, which 

reinforces occupant behavior that supports ZE. Discovery 

Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, has a dashboard that is 

age-appropriate for elementary school students. Figure 

3 is a screenshot of this dashboard, which shows power 

consumption, power production, and net power.

Building signage can inform students and other occupants 

about energy-efficient systems and passive design 

strategies in the school. Signage is important to remind 

Figure 3. Energy dashboard screenshot for Discovery Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, taken at 

2:23 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, January 8, 2019
Step 5: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design 37

building occupants of energy-saving opportunities. For 

example, signs can remind occupants to turn off lights 

when a room is not occupied or to turn off equipment and 

devices when not in use to manage plug loads. 

See-through building sections are also effective ways to 

display energy efficiency features. NREL’s RSF, a ZE office 

building, provides viewing opportunities into the floor as 

well as acrylic walls around the mechanical room. 

The building design should consider occupants’ needs 

along with energy performance. For example, a common 

energy efficiency feature in ZE schools is classroom 

daylighting; to deliver savings, the windows that provide 

daylight need to be free of obstructions. At the same 

time, teachers need space to post information around 

the classroom as part of their instruction. In this case, 

teachers should be encouraged to keep windows free of 

obstructions, and the design should provide ample space 

for posting informational displays or accommodating 

student work in other areas of the classroom. 

Include Energy Expertise in 

the Quality Assurance Team

A quality assurance (QA) team is crucial to ensuring that 

energy goals established early in the process are achieved 

in practice. There are different ways to organize contracts 

and people to ensure high-quality results. Often, a QA 

team includes school district staff that are technical 

experts and an external commissioning authority (CxA) 

accountable to the owner. The school owner should 

contract directly with the CxA to ensure that the CxA 

is committed to the ZE goals. The CxA operates as an 

owner’s technical advocate. Ideally, the CxA is engaged as 

early as possible in the design process. The CxA can help 

develop a procedure to verify the energy goals and serve 

as the mechanism to validate that the goals have been 

met. The CxA should contribute to the owner’s project 

requirements (OPR), a document that establishes the 

owner’s expectations for the project. 

Design Quality Assurance

The goal of QA during the design phase is to ensure that 

the design meets the requirements of the RFP. The QA 

team should require the designer to substantiate energy 

goals throughout the design process. The RFP should 

include an energy use calculation methodology as well 

as guidance on the modeling capabilities required for the 

job. The design team should develop an energy model of 

the proposed building early in the design process, update 

it at every decision point, and use it to support all design 

(and construction) decisions. 

The energy model can help designers think through 

architectural decisions that impact energy performance. 

These include building orientation, massing, and layout, 

as well as energy efficiency strategies integrated into 

the building envelope and structure, such as 

daylighting, thermal mass distribution, natural 

ventilation, and solar shading.

Key Checkpoints for 

Meeting Energy Goals

If measurable and absolute energy goals are included in 

the contract, then—ideally—meeting them during the 

design process will be straightforward. However, some 

key checkpoints to track energy goals are listed below for 

See-through building sections, like this "truth wall" at Emerald Elementary School in Broomfield, Colorado. 

Designed by RB+B Architects and Fielding Nair International, Photo by Paul Brokering Photography
38 Step 5: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design

different stages of design, and some of the checkpoints 

include the location of additional relevant information

 in the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018).

Schematic Development through the 

Construction Documentation Phase

• Establish a QA team with clear roles to oversee the QA 

process. This team could be a mix of in-house technical 

experts and an external CxA; see the ZE K12 AEDG 

(ASHRAE 2018, p. 38).

• Have the design team develop an energy model that 

incorporates different passive and energy efficiency 

technologies to meet the EUI target. The energy model 

should be based on the findings uncovered during the 

building needs assessment (Step One in this document) 

and provide verification that the model represents 

the building as built. As part of the team selection 

process, bidders should also have previously provided 

evidence of their modeling expertise by presenting 

other projects in which model predictions agreed 

with operational measurements within acceptable 

error bounds; see the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, 

Chapter 4, p. 45).

• Discuss the simulation results with the design team 

and identify any areas that might pose a challenge to 

meeting the EUI target.

• Compare the end-use breakdown of the energy 

model with the examples in Bonnema et al. 2016.

• Update the energy model throughout the design 

to reflect the latest design. The model should include 

current specifications such as equipment efficiency 

and insulation values; see the ZE K12 AEDG 

(ASHRAE 2018, p. 46).

• During the design process, clearly document the 

modeling inputs used to achieve the EUI target. These 

inputs can be used later to compare the measured data 

with the simulation results.

Planning for Quality Assurance 

during Postoccupancy

• Larger school districts typically appoint an energy 

manager to oversee the energy performance of the 

district. If a full-time appointment is not possible, 

Partner Snapshot: Integrating Zero 

Energy Goals into Design in San 

Francisco, California

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) 

requires school building design teams to reduce 

energy use to the point that new school buildings 

can achieve ZE. To facilitate the process, SFUSD 

provides guidance for project teams to ensure that 

the completed schools meet their energy goals. 

Toward that end, SFUSD requires that architects 

use the following strategies during the process of 

creating new buildings:

Integrative design. All projects begin with an 

architect-led design charrette focused on identifying 

the strategies and systems necessary to meet the 

district’s EUI target of less than 20 kBtu/ft2·yr. At 

a minimum, the project manager; Sustainability 

Office representative(s); buildings and grounds 

personnel; design team staff; commissioning agent; 

and electrical, mechanical, and civil consultants 

will attend. When it’s feasible, a design-build 

procurement process is used to optimize the benefit 

of this approach.

Energy modeling. Building form, massing, 

orientation, and roof layout (among other design 

parameters) have a significant impact on energy 

usage and solar energy production. Therefore, 

design decisions will be evaluated against a 

constantly refined energy model from the earliest 

stages of a project. In this way, project architects 

will have many opportunities for course 

correction should site conditions or nonenergy 

parameters make achievement of ZE goals difficult. 

Modeling inputs should be clearly documented so 

that deviations can be identified after the building 

is occupied.

Commissioning. Commissioning agents hired 

by SFUSD will be brought into the design process 

early and will follow the project through design, 

construction, and postoccupancy to ensure that the 

design intent is achieved 

Further, SFUSD provides detailed energy efficiency 

design guidelines. To achieve the levels of energy 

efficiency required to get to ZE, designers should 
Step 5: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design 39

consult the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018).7 SFUSD also 

provides guidelines for designers to follow during the 

design process in its OPR.8 Here is a summary:

 Energy. New buildings should be designed to 

achieve a modeled EUI of 15–20 kBtu/ft2·yr, a value 

that allows rooftop solar to offset yearly energy 

usage for a typical 2–3 story San Francisco school.

 Form and siting. Buildings should be simple and 

compact, oriented and sited for maximum solar 

access, integrated into the landscape, and with a 

depth and layout that allows daylight harvesting, 

natural ventilation, outside views, and the use of 

thermal mass. 

 Maintenance. Every effort should be made to 

facilitate maintenance access to building systems 

(without ladders/lifts and without disturbing 

classes), and design teams are encouraged to 

expose the functional elements of the building for 

students to see. 

 Envelope. To minimize the heating load, roof, wall, 

slab edge, and door insulation should be continuous 

and optimized through building modeling to 

comply with the building’s EUI target. 

 Windows. Windows size and specifications 

should be tuned based on building orientation. 

Assembly U-factor should be less than 0.30 on all 

sides (including roof) and thermally broken 

frames are required. 

 Lighting. Whenever possible, buildings should use 

natural light to meet lighting needs. 

 Heating. Space conditioning should be limited to 

permanently occupied areas; no conditioning is 

needed in foyers, hallways, restrooms, or closets. No 

fossil fuel-based heating (natural gas) is allowed. 

 Cooling and ventilation. Occupied spaces should 

rely on natural ventilation unless schools are located 

close to a major pollutant source (e.g., freeway, 

major arterial). 

 Hot water. Design teams shall specify heat pump 

and/or point-of-use water heaters set to 120oF and 

place these close to the point of use and/or in a 

warm part of the building.

 Metering. All completed projects shall contain 

smart meters as well as a networked touch screen. 

 Plug loads. Expected plug loads should be 

discussed with the information technology 

department and factored into modeling results.

 Solar. In general, SFUSD plans to add solar only 

after having occupied a building for at least 1 year. 

However, design teams need to estimate the 

amount of solar capacity available so that EUI targets 

for the building can be modified to match expected 

power generation. 

7. Achieving Zero Energy: Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings (free 

download): https://www.ashrae.org/aedg 

8. SFUSD Project Requirements: https://gettingtozeroforum.org/wp-content/uploads/

sites/2/2017/08/OwnersProjectRequirements_SFUSD.pdf 

The 50-kW PV system on Alvarado Elementary School in San Francisco provides 20%–30% of the school's electricity and is a tool for teaching students about environmental stewardship. Photo by SFPUC
40 Step 5: Integrating Zero Energy Goals into Design

train the building manager(s) to track building energy 

consumption. A monitoring plan and monitoring 

equipment should be included in the building budget; 

see the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, p. 39).

• Install monitoring-based commissioning systems to 

automatically diagnose faults during operation; see the 

ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, p. 40–41).

• If the EUI exceeds the target, pinpoint the problematic 

area(s) using the submetering reports. Use the energy 

model inputs and results to determine the source(s) of 

the increased energy consumption. 

• Install an energy dashboard with easy-to-understand 

graphics. It can be used as a tool to engage occupants 

and ensure the building is hitting the EUI target; see the 

ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, p. 15–16)

• Contract to calibrate the model after occupancy.

Aligning Energy Goals with 

Educational Opportunities 

A ZE school building provides multiple learning 

opportunities for students. All occupants of the ZE school 

must work together before and after they move into the 

building to ensure the building is performing well and 

achieving its ZE goal. Students will learn how aspects 

of the building interact with one another and how this 

relates to sustainability and environmental stewardship. 

Teachers can capitalize on these learning opportunities 

by incorporating energy efficiency, renewable energy, 

and sustainability into school curricula (see the Discovery 

Elementary video case study in Resources for Integrating 

Zero Energy Goals into Design). Not only are elements of 

the building educational, but designers can also work 

with teachers to develop curricula that stimulate student 

interest in the ZE aspects of the building.

Energy dashboards and building signage can enhance 

student learning. Energy dashboards can include data 

from student experiments as well as other sustainability 

considerations, such as student transportation modes, 

recycled materials, and quantities of uneaten food. 

Dashboards can be online so that teachers can access 

them in the classroom and students can access them 

at home. Teachers can assign research projects that 

integrate energy dashboard data and can refer to 

building signage during lessons about energy efficiency 

and sustainability.

Resources for Integrating Zero 

Energy Goals into Design

The Design-Build Process for the Research Support Facility: 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1309. Indepth look at how DOE and NREL used a performancebased design-build contract process to design, build, and 

operate a ZE office building.

Discovery Elementary School video case 

study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_

continue=35&v=2kTS4UODWwc. Short video about 

Discovery Elementary School, a ZE school in 

Arlington, Virginia.

Example energy dashboard: http://158.59.255.83/ or go 

to https://discovery.apsva.us/ and click on Energy 

Dashboard in the left-hand menu. Discovery Elementary 

School, a ZE school in Arlington, Virginia, uses an ageappropriate energy dashboard as a teaching tool for 

students and the community.

Functional Performance Testing within the Building 

Envelope Commissioning Process: https://www.brikbase.

org/sites/default/files/best2_knight.pdf. Information on 

commissioning the entire building envelope, from design 

through construction.

Guide to Operating and Maintaining EnergySmart Schools: 

https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f5/ess_o-andm-guide.pdf. Information on how smart energy choices 

in schools can create lasting benefits for students, 

communities, and the environment.

How-To Guide for Energy-Performance-Based Procurement: 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1310. 

Background on the importance of establishing 

measurable performance-based energy goals from the 

beginning of a project and guidance on maintaining 

those goals throughout the process and evaluating 

whether they have been achieved.

Updated resources for Step Five: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep5.
Achieving Zero 

Energy Goals during 

Construction and 

Commissioning

After taking steps during the design process 

to verify that energy goals will be achieved, 

the school owner’s focus turns to maintaining 

targeted performance during construction and 

6

commissioning (ASHRAE 2013b). This step outlines 

strategies for QA during construction, including the 

role of a commissioning team at different stages of 

the project. The commissioning team ensures that 

building systems are functioning as expected so the 

school building achieves its energy efficiency goals 

and meets the EUI target. 

STEP SIX

Emerald Elementary School in Broomfield, Colorado, is a beautiful low energy building that provides a bright, vibrant 

learning environment for students and teachers. Designed by RB+B Architects and Fielding Nair International, Photo by 

Paul Brokering Photography
42 Step 6: Achieving Zero Energy Goals during Construction and Commissioning

Quality Assurance

By the time construction begins, the school owner should 

have a QA team in place that includes in-house technical 

experts and an external CxA accountable to the owner. 

The concept of the QA team was introduced in Step Five, 

though ideally the QA team would regularly review and 

provide feedback at all stages of design and construction. 

Its comments and the steps taken to address its 

concerns should be documented. One of the important 

steps in this review is that the CxA should review the 

construction documents covering the systems that will 

be commissioned. 

Accountability

Whether the designer or the contractor is responsible 

for quality at different stages of the project depends on 

the delivery mechanism (i.e., design-build, construction 

manager at risk, or design-bid-build). During the design 

phase, the QA team should ensure that the design meets 

the energy goals in the RFP and contract. During the 

construction phase, the QA team should ensure that 

contractors are building according to the plans and that 

the building is meeting design specifications. Table 4 

identifies the accountable party for each project delivery 

mechanism during design and construction.

Construction Quality Assurance

A QA technique used during construction is to require 

the contractor to match the energy model to the as-built 

condition of the building. This should be the contractor’s 

responsibility for design-bid-build project delivery. The 

contractor will often hire energy modelers and CxAs 

to ensure that it can meet its contractual obligation to 

achieve the energy targets. 

Two key strategies in energy-performance-based 

construction are:

• Require that contractors submit a QA/quality 

control plan that demonstrates how they will achieve 

the required performance of different components. The 

building envelope is one of the critical components, 

including leakage rates; see the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 

2018, p. 39).

• Perform on-site inspections and maintain an issues 

log; see the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, p. 38–39). 

The QA team should perform periodic site inspections 

and systematically document the findings, solutions 

proposed, and follow-up actions taken. Refer to 

Appendix K—Issues and Resolutions Log in ASHRAE 2013b 

for an example of how to maintain an issues log.

Component Commissioning in 

a Zero Energy School

In a ZE school, commissioning of the following 

components is an especially important part of the QA 

process:

• Building envelope—walls, roof, and windows

• Building systems—HVAC, lighting, and renewable 

energy

• Indoor environmental quality—air quality, light 

quality, and acoustical performance. 

Phase Project Delivery Mechanism

Design-Build Construction Manager at Risk Design-Bid-Build

Design Because the contract is awarded to 

the construction contractor, who then 

hires the designer, the contractor 

is responsible for ensuring that the 

design meets the energy goals of the 

RFP and contract.

The construction manager serves as an 

advisor during the design process, but 

the designer is responsible for ensuring 

that the design meets the energy goals 

of the RFP and contract.

The designer is responsible for 

ensuring that the design meets the 

energy goals of the RFP and contract. 

Construction The contractor is responsible 

for ensuring that the building is 

constructed to specifications that will 

meet the energy goals of the RFP and 

contract.

The construction manager is 

responsible for constructing the 

building according to the designer’s 

plans.

The contractor is responsible for 

constructing the building according to 

the designer’s plans. 

Table 4. Accountability for Different Project Delivery Mechanisms
Step 6: Achieving Zero Energy Goals during Construction and Commissioning 43

Envelope and building system commissioning focuses 

on the performance of building systems, and indoor 

environmental quality commissioning focuses on 

the health and comfort of the building’s occupants. 

Guidance documents are available for performing 

detailed commissioning of a building. Refer to Resources 

for Achieving Zero Energy Goals during Construction and 

Commissioning at the end of this step for examples. 

Information about commissioning these components is 

in the ZE K12 AEDG (ASHRAE 2018, p. 39–41). 

Measurement and Verification

M&V is a phase that spans 12–24 months after the 

building is occupied. In this phase, the CxA, design team, 

contractor, and energy modeler work with the owner to 

track energy performance. If the measured EUI deviates 

from the predicted EUI, the source of the anomaly must 

be identified and the problem resolved. 

Defining the M&V scope is extremely important but 

often neglected. The scope should be discussed with the 

entire team, appropriate roles should be defined, and 

responsibilities for meeting the energy target should be 

assigned. The M&V process can be used to show that the 

school is achieving ZE or ZER operating performance. If 

it is not, courses of action to achieve the energy target 

should be discussed.

Resources for Achieving Zero 

Energy Goals during Construction 

and Commissioning 

Achieving Zero Energy: Advanced Energy Design Guide 

for K–12 School Buildings: Free download at https://

www.ashrae.org/aedg. See Quality Assurance and 

Commissioning, p. 38–41.

ASHRAE Standard 202-2013—Commissioning Process for 

Buildings and Systems. https://www.ashrae.org/technicalresources/bookstore/commissioning-essentials. Available 

for purchase.

Commissioning Your Building during Design and 

Construction for a Healthy School Environment: https://

www.epa.gov/schools-healthy-buildings/commissioningyour-building-during-design-and-construction-healthyschool. Summary of why commissioning a school is 

important and a resource list of helpful sources and 

organizations. Includes Building Commissioning, Part of 

Indoor Air Quality Design Tools for Schools: https://www.

epa.gov/iaq-schools/building-commissioning-part-indoorair-quality-design-tools-schools. 

DOE-recognized building commissioning certifications: 

https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/workforce/

participating-certifying-organizations. List of certification 

programs that have received accreditation from qualified 

accreditation bodies.

Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, 

Construction and Commissioning: https://www.ashrae.org/

technical-resources/bookstore/indoor-air-quality-guide. 

Free download.

Whole Building Design Guide: Building Commissioning: 

https://www.wbdg.org/building-commissioning. Guide 

to the importance of building commissioning from 

predesign through operations.

Updated resources for Step Six: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep6.

In addition to its low energy use, Socastee Elementary School in Horry County, South Carolina, is a 

beautiful, comfortable building. Photo by Horry County Schools
44 Step 6: Achieving Zero Energy Goals during Construction and Commissioning

Partner Snapshot: Achieving Zero 

Energy Goals during Construction and 

Commissioning in Boulder, Colorado 

In 2014, voters in Boulder County, Colorado, approved 

a bond program that included funding to advance the 

Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD’s) sustainability 

goals as outlined in its Sustainable Energy Plan.9 These 

goals include reducing the BVSD building portfolio 

average EUI to less than or equal to 30 kBtu/ft2·yr by Fiscal 

Year 2050, which aligns with the district’s intention to 

make all new buildings in the district ZE or ZER. 

As a result of the bond program, the district has built 

four new schools, all of which have exceeded the 

district’s average EUI for a similar school. The schools 

are evaluating performance and engaging occupants 

to further reduce the building EUIs. 

The results are encouraging. In Fiscal Year 2018, 

Creekside Elementary operated at an EUI of 42 kBtu/ft2·yr, 

Douglass Elementary averaged 43 kBtu/ft2·yr, Emerald 

Elementary was at 46 kBtu/ft2·yr, and Meadowlark 

Pre-K–8 hit the district target of 30 kBtu/ft2·yr. The PV 

system removed from the old Creekside school will be 

reinstalled on the new building and will provide much 

of the building’s energy. 

BVSD used several strategies to ensure that the new 

schools’ energy goals would be maintained during 

construction and commissioning. Through a rigorous 

RFP process, the district selected a third-party 

energy consultant, which has been involved at every 

stage of each project, creating an arc of continuity for 

energy goals. 

BVSD doesn’t include energy goals in its design and 

building contracts—there are no penalties for missing 

or incentives for hitting energy targets—but everyone 

involved is well-acquainted with the district’s energy 

priorities. From the beginning of the process, the owner 

(BVSD) and the energy consultant, who is also the 

energy modeler, strongly and regularly emphasized the 

importance of energy efficiency. 

Despite the fact that BVSD has no contractual authority 

beyond reiterating the importance of meeting or 

exceeding the project energy goals, the design and 

construction process required frequent meetings 

involving all the players. This gave BVSD and the energy 

consultant multiple opportunities to remind the 

construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) to 

consider energy efficiency in every construction decision. 

And, of course, the CMGC and architect have bragging 

rights when they meet or exceed the goals. 

The energy consultant also provides commissioning 

services to confirm that new equipment and systems are 

operating properly. Once commissioning is complete, 

the consultant provides M&V services to verify that the 

building is performing as designed. M&V can uncover 

problems missed during commissioning. If the measured 

EUI deviates from the predicted EUI, the energy 

consultant identifies and corrects the problems.

To engage students and staff and encourage friendly 

competition, BVSD has a districtwide dashboard that 

displays real-time energy use by school.10 The 

dashboard tracks electricity use, can help modify 

occupant behavior toward efficiency, and rewards 

schools for their efficiency efforts.

9. https://www.bvsd.org/green/Documents/BVSD%20Sustainable%20Energy%20

Plan%2009262013.pdf 

10. https://buildingos.com/s/bvsd/Storyboard/?chapterId=2504

Daylighting is an important feature of any low energy building; the lunchroom at Emerald 

Elementary in Broomfield, Colorado, is a cheerful, daylit space. Designed by RB+B Architects and 

Fielding Nair International, Photo by Paul Brokering Photography 
Evaluating 

Performance and 

Engaging Occupants

After the teachers, staff, and students move in and 

begin to work and learn in the school, it’s time to 

examine the energy data and evaluate whether 

the building is performing according to the energy 

model and design specifications. Occupant behavior 

directly impacts energy use and is a factor in whether 

the building achieves ZE. Although the design of 

the building can encourage occupants to minimize 

energy use (see Step Five), engaging occupants after 

they’ve moved into the building can also expedite 

their learning process about how they can help ensure 

that the building operates as efficiently as possible. 

STEP SEVEN 7

St. James Intermediate School in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is one of five low 

energy schools built in the district from 2017–2018. Photo by Horry County Schools
46 Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants

Evaluating Performance

At least a year’s worth of energy use data is used to 

calculate whether the school building is meeting its ZE 

performance target. In a ZE building over the course of a 

full year, the balance of energy production minus energy 

use should be zero or positive.

Evaluating performance should be a continuous process, 

and it can take longer than a year to achieve ZE. The 

building operator should be able to instantaneously find 

the energy balance for a year by accessing information 

from the school’s energy management information 

system (EMIS), which will indicate whether the building is 

on track to meet its ZE target. In addition to being shared 

back to the main district office, this information could be 

displayed on an age-appropriate dashboard such as the 

one at Discovery Elementary in Arlington, Virginia. The 

Discovery dashboard shows power consumption, power 

production, and net power (see Resources for Evaluating 

Performance and Engaging Occupants as well as Figure 3).

If a school does not have the capability to monitor 

continuously, the performance evaluation can be done 

using utility bills. However, the fine-grain data that result 

from submetering by building end use are helpful to gain 

insight into building operation and to spot issues that 

could jeopardize ZE operation. 

To accurately assess that the building is meeting its ZE 

goal, the energy calculation needs to include all metered 

data from all purchased energy sources. DOE 2015 

explains the calculation in detail.

Metering and Submetering to Measure 

Actual Energy Performance

First, care must be taken to ensure that the meters and 

submeters used for performance evaluation are installed 

properly, so that they provide useful information about 

whether the building is operating as designed. 

The configuration and placement of electric panel boxes 

should be planned during design. Ideally, these panels 

boxes are designed so that each represents a building 

end use (lighting, plug and process loads, refrigeration, 

HVAC) that can be captured with its own submetering 

device. The submeter should be the property of the 

building owner (most likely the school district), so that 

the owner controls the data. PV production and wholebuilding energy use should be metered separately. The 

system could be set up so that equipment with relatively 

large loads—kitchen equipment such as refrigerators, for 

example—can be individually submetered. Data from 

submeters can be compiled in and accessed from an 

EMIS. The ZE K12 AEDG contains a helpful submetering 

diagram (ASHRAE 2018, p. 142). 

Developing a Calibrated Model

After the building is occupied, the designer and 

contractor should deliver to the owner an accurate set 

of as-built plans. An as-built energy model that 

reflects the completed building should be included 

with these plans, and occupancy schedules can be 

updated continually to reflect the operations and actual 

occupancy of the building.

The ZE K12 AEDG includes a description of the calibrated 

model (ASHRAE 2018, p. 46). The calibrated model reflects 

the as-is building including as-installed equipment 

and as-tested performance information. During M&V, 

comparing this model to actual building performance 

can uncover hardware, control, or occupant behavior 

issues that need correcting. 

Comparing Modeled Performance 

to Actual Performance

The metered energy data should be compared with the 

calibrated building model. The quality of the comparison 

improves as the meter data resolution becomes more 

granular, further emphasizing the need to plan the 

submetering during the design phase. The occupant 

engagement plan, discussed below, can outline who 

will be responsible for this comparison. It could be 

the building operator, but in a school, the comparison 

could be completed by students as a learning tool. One 

teacher or student group could assume ownership of 

these calculations, for example. Measured data can be 

entered into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (EPA n.d.) to track the 

performance of the building. There are also other tracking 

options, including manual tracking on spreadsheets.

If the metered energy data do not match the building 

model, then something in the building’s operation 

needs to be addressed. The building operator or student 
Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants 47

group in charge of monitoring could drill into the data 

to identify the root cause of the anomaly. If the high 

energy consumption is a malfunction of a component of 

the building system, the building operator should fix the 

problem. These malfunctions are called building “faults.” 

Systems are emerging for building fault detection and 

diagnostics that can automatically detect and diagnose 

faults in the building system. 

If the higher-than-planned energy consumption is related 

to occupant behavior, the school community could work 

together to reengage occupants with the school’s ZE 

goals. For example, monitoring energy use may reveal 

that computers are always left on (e.g., for automatic 

updates at night). The school community could develop 

a plug load management plan that would require that 

computers be turned off at night. The school could 

work with the school district’s information technology 

team to schedule specific times for updates and power 

down the computers at other times. Controls could be 

implemented through the computers’ power settings or 

by using advanced power strips. 

Making the Most of the Building Warranty

Most equipment in a building comes with a warranty, and 

most construction contracts contain a warranty period 

during which the contractor is responsible for repairing 

or replacing equipment or systems that don’t perform as 

specified. Consider holding the contractor accountable 

for performance by stipulating that any equipment that 

is not performing properly creates a warranty issue that 

the contractor is contractually bound to correct so that 

the building meets the design specifications. If energyspecific performance goals are included in the contract, 

missing one of those goals after the building is occupied 

would trigger a warranty claim if the cause can be traced 

to equipment or control issues. 

Engaging Occupants

Occupant engagement includes facilities management 

staff training and school occupant training. Facilities 

management is most likely to be in charge of ensuring 

that the school building achieves ZE performance. The 

facilities staff needs to understand how the building 

operates, how the mechanical systems operate, and how 

to encourage energy-saving occupant behaviors through 

strategies such as walk-throughs. Facilities staff should also 

know whom to call for system maintenance and repairs. 

Training can inform occupants about their roles in 

meeting building energy targets and about how to use 

the building to optimize energy efficiency. Training needs 

to be continuous, because each school year brings new 

students into classrooms.

Developing a Plan 

A recommended practice for ensuring occupant 

engagement is to develop an occupant engagement 

plan and implement it. This plan must include regularly 

scheduled checks of the submetered energy data 

collected and managed by the school’s EMIS platform, 

identify who is responsible for this task, and describe how 

they will do it. In addition, the plan needs to identify who 

will monitor the data and how they will do it. The plan 

must also include a training plan for building occupants. 

The training should include information on the building 

systems, their operation, and their importance to energy 

savings. Ideally, the plan would:

• Identify the parties responsible for monitoring the 

building energy data and verifying that the building 

is ZE; energy reporting may be required for certain 

certification programs.

Douglass Elementary in Boulder, Colorado, is working toward zero energy status, a reflection of 

the Boulder Valley School District's commitment to sustainability. Photo by RTA Architects, 

David Lauer Photography 
48 Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants

• Include training details for building occupants so 

that training plans include information about who will 

receive the training (students, teachers, facilities staff); 

who will administer the training; what information will 

be included in the training; and how frequently and 

when the training will be held (e.g., the beginning of 

the school year). 

• Identify a point of contact who understands the 

building operation and knows what to do when 

something isn’t working properly; this should be 

included in this staff member’s job description, and the 

plan should also include continuation measures that 

specify who will continue the training when the current 

point of contact retires or leaves the school.

• Describe a process for building occupants to 

communicate building malfunctions to the main point 

of contact. For example, if a student notices that lights 

are continuously on, he or she might be instructed to 

notify someone in the front office, who in turn would 

verify the issue and report it to the point of contact.

• Describe strategies for occupant engagement in 

maintaining the building’s ZE status. This could be 

a student team or club responsible for monitoring the 

building and ensuring that occupant behavior supports 

building energy efficiency goals (e.g., no art obstructing 

daylit windows) or specific classes (science, math) that 

take on this responsibility. 

• Include a way for the school administration to 

communicate roles and responsibilities. In other 

words, create a communication plan through teacher/

student/parent handbooks, administrative bulletins, or 

in-service teacher days.

• Include the maintenance schedules for items related 

to energy-efficient building systems, because 

maintenance staff may not be familiar with them.

The real value of time spent planning is captured as time 

savings and effectiveness during plan implementation. 

School owners should clearly assign responsibilities and 

make sure that the plan is implemented as intended. The 

following approaches can help:

A user manual can encourage ZE-friendly occupant 

behavior. It can be used for occupant training and can 

also include basic information on how to operate the 

energy efficiency features of the building. School district 

representatives in charge of the procurement can require 

the construction contractor to provide a user manual. 

User manuals could be delivered as both a manual and a 

PowerPoint presentation, so that the information can be 

easily inserted into presentations or posters. 

Building signage and information placards placed 

on energy efficiency features can inform students 

and other occupants about energy-efficient systems 

and passive design strategies in the school. Signage is 

important to remind building occupants of energysaving opportunities. For example, signs can remind 

occupants to turn off lights when a room is unoccupied 

or to turn off equipment and devices when not in use to 

manage plug loads.

Jennings Creek Elementary, a zero energy school in Bowling Green, Kentucky, cost $1.5 million less to build than the average Kentucky school and is expected to operate at 20 kBtu/ft2·yr, saving more than 

$165,000 a year in energy costs. Image by Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects 
Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants 49

ZE schools offer leadership and learning opportunities

that can encourage groups of students to become 

stewards of the ZE building. Student groups can assume 

responsibility for giving ZE tours and encouraging 

energy-saving occupant behavior. Members of 

sustainability clubs or participants in a class that 

takes responsibility for occupant behavior are good 

candidates to be student ZE champions. Kinard Core 

Knowledge Middle School in Fort Collins, Colorado, 

is a ZER school with an annual EUI ranging from 21 

to 24 kBtu/ft2·yr, measured from 2008 to 2014. Kinard 

has student sustainability clubs, and the members 

give building tours to discuss the school’s approach to 

reducing energy, water use, and food waste with visitors. 

Horry County Schools in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 

has similar clubs called “green teams.” Fifth graders at 

Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, also 

give building tours. The student energy champions and 

building signage provide continuous energy efficiency 

education opportunities, which are important in schools 

because there are new students every year. Although 

staff turnover is less of an issue than student turnover, the 

building should be easy to operate, allowing transient 

occupants and new staff hires to quickly learn behaviors 

that promote energy savings.

The person responsible for addressing building operation 

issues could be the same person responsible for 

monitoring, collecting, and reporting energy data. In 

addition, periodic building walk-throughs are needed. 

These are similar to and can be combined with safety 

walk-throughs. The person doing the walk-through 

inspects the building and addresses issues of energy 

waste. In addition, the master maintenance schedule 

needs to be regularly updated.

Using Occupant Surveys

Surveys and questionnaires solicit occupant feedback 

on comfort and other building-related issues that can be 

useful to building managers. The building manager could 

develop the survey or work with a teacher or student 

group that develops and administers the survey, analyzes 

results, and addresses issues identified in the survey 

through an action plan. 

Perkins Eastman, the architects who designed the highperformance Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., 

developed a performance evaluation framework that 

incorporates both quantitative building measurements 

and qualitative occupant feedback focused on 

daylighting, thermal comfort, acoustics, and air quality. 

Their occupant engagement strategy also included 

preoccupancy data collection. 

The presentation Human Factors and Post-Occupancy 

Evaluation describes how the building manager for NREL’s 

RSF surveyed occupants on comfort using a desktop 

application that captures and addresses occupant 

comfort in real time (see Resources for Evaluating 

Performance and Engaging Occupants and Figure 4). 

Although the RSF is an office building, some of the 

comfort questions are relevant to ZE schools. The survey 

asked occupants about their level of comfort relating to 

indoor air temperature and humidity, lighting, glare, air 

quality, and noise. Instead of direct measurements, the 

data captured by the app are based on the occupant 

experience and perception. The survey also included 

questions related to building function, such as light 

switch operability and room functionality. 

Data collected from occupant engagement can inform 

subsequent ZE buildings. See Step Eight: Showcasing and 

Replicating a Zero Energy School for a description of how 

ZE successes and data collected from a school district’s 

existing ZE buildings as part of an occupant engagement 

program can be used to improve the procurement 

process for subsequent ZE buildings.

Figure 4. The building manager for NREL’s RSF surveyed occupants 

on comfort using a desktop application that captures and addresses 

occupant comfort in real time. Graphic by Marjorie Schott 

and Kyle Benne, NREL
50 Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants

Partner Snapshot: Evaluating Performance 

and Engaging Occupants in Horry County, 

South Carolina

Horry County Schools in South Carolina opened three 

new ZE schools in 2017 and two in 2018. The five 

schools, four middle and one elementary, use similar 

designs. Each school building has two stories with an 

atrium, a hybrid geothermal system, daylighting, LED 

lights with control systems, a PV system on the roof, and 

a goal of producing 10% more energy than it uses.

The district wanted an energy-efficient, highperformance school that generated more energy 

than it used and provided a collaborative learning 

environment. Achieving energy positive status involved 

reducing the energy demands of the building and 

installing PV panels to generate electricity that is used in 

the building and sold to the local utility. 

For example, the use of natural light reduces the 

energy required for lighting and provides natural light 

to classrooms and interior spaces through numerous 

clerestory windows. Sunshades allow for flexibility in 

siting the building by screening windows on south, east, 

and west facades from direct sunlight; all glazing on 

those elevations in the new schools have sun shades in 

accordance with ASHRAE 189.1.

The school board enlisted the same design-build team 

to ensure consistency and replicability across all five 

projects while maintaining the focus on achieving ZE. 

The district’s strategic plan prioritizes the expansion 

of opportunities for both students and teachers to 

learn and grow in science, technology, engineering, 

and math. The energy goals of the five new zero 

energy projects are embedded into learning goals for 

students with classrooms serving as living laboratories 

for experiential learning about passive design, on-site 

energy generation, energy efficiency, and the built 

environment.

Horry County has learned valuable lessons during the 

process of designing, building, and operating its ZE 

schools. 

Allow enough time to evaluate building 

performance. Horry County used a design-build 

procurement process that included a 3-year 

performance contract requiring the design-build team 

to optimize the building and achieve the ZE goal. A 

year and a half into the process of evaluating building 

performance, the design-build team is still tweaking 

controls and fine-tuning the mechanical system.

Contract directly with an independent 

commissioning agent and an independent firm that 

provides test and balance services early in the design 

process. When these professionals are at the table from 

the beginning of the project, there are opportunities to 

review systems and identify small problems before they 

become big problems that are time-consuming and 

expensive to correct.

Research local utility rate structures and buy/sell 

arrangements for distributed PV early in the design 

process. Once the building is using the least possible 

energy to operate—the new Horry County schools have 

EUIs of 22–23 kBtu/ft2·yr—that energy must come from 

the on-site PV system to achieve ZE. In Horry County, 

however, the district buys electricity for $0.17–$0.18/

kWh and sells the PV output for $0.03–$0.04/kWh. In 

addition, the utility only allows the schools to use 25% of 

the electricity the PV systems produce in the buildings 

and utility demand charges further erode energy 

savings. This has been disappointing because the school 

board’s original interest in ZE schools was driven by the 

prospect of generating free solar electricity and selling 

the excess back to the utility. 

Use submetering and other strategies to monitor 

how and when energy is used. Until energy storage is 

affordable and commonplace, it is critical that building 

owners and operators know specifically how much 

energy the building is using and when that use occurs. 

Most high-performance buildings today do not have 

energy storage, which means a building would be 

more likely to achieve ZE or energy positive status in a 

regulatory environment in which the utility bought the 

output of the renewable energy system at retail rates 

and ZE and energy positive schools were not subject to 

high demand charges. If utility billing rate and usage 

issues are not understood and evaluated early in the 

design process, the building could meet or even exceed 

its energy goal but still not achieve its anticipated 

energy cost savings. 
Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants 51

Engage students, teachers, and facilities staff 

in the operation of the building. Horry County 

is using staff support and on-site mentoring to 

form and maintain an EnergyWise (Wisdom Is 

Saving Energy and the Environment) club at each 

school. EnergyWise is a program developed by 

EDUCON Educational Consulting, Inc. The district 

is also using information and resources from the 

National Energy Education Development (NEED) 

Project,11 including NEED energy science kits 

and the opportunity to participate in the Youth 

Achievement Awards competition, to develop 

teacher curricula and support student energy 

clubs and other energy activities (see Occupant 

Engagement Resources in Resources for Evaluating 

Performance and Engaging Occupants for more 

information).

11. https://www.need.org

Resources for Evaluating 

Performance and 

Engaging Occupants 

Occupant Engagement Resources

Curricula and other educational materials from the 

National Energy Education Development Project 

(NEED): 

https://www.need.org/curriculum. 

All curriculum guides are available at no cost. 

https://www.need.org/Files/curriculum/guides/

BlueprintSchoolEnergyTeam.pdf. A tool for schools 

to reduce energy consumption by adopting school 

energy policies and forming a student energy team.

https://www.need.org/youth-awards. This program, 

which is free for participants, combines academic 

competition with recognition for those who achieve 

excellence in energy education in their schools and 

communities. 

Measuring Up: Using Pre- and Post-Occupancy 

Evaluation to Assess High-Performance School 

Design: http://www.perkinseastman.com/dynamic/

document/week/asset/download/3436982/3436982.

pdf. White paper that describes the mixed-methods 

process that architectural firm Perkins Eastman 

developed to evaluate school building performance 

postoccupancy; includes a standard survey tool 

to assess perceptions and a sensor network and 

protocol for testing school building performance.

Occupant engagement example from higher 

education: https://betterbuildingsinitiative.energy.gov/

implementation-models/comprehensive-occupantengagement-program. Northwestern University’s 

comprehensive occupant engagement program. 

The students at St. James Intermediate School in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, can join energy clubs 

to learn more about their school's innovative features. Photo by Horry County Schools
52 Step 7: Evaluating Performance and Engaging Occupants

Using an app to collect and respond to occupant comfort: 

https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/

pdfs/rsf/0208_nasa_human_factors_post_occupancy.pdf. 

Presentation entitled Human Factors and Post-Occupancy 

Evaluation that highlights how the Building Agent Tool 

(a desktop app—see Figure 4) captures and addresses 

occupant comfort in real time at the RSF, a ZE office 

building on NREL’s Golden, Colorado, campus.

Occupant Survey Resources

Indoor environmental quality survey from the 

Center for the Built Environment: https://www.cbe.

berkeley.edu/research/briefs-survey.htm. Available for K–12 

and other building owners to use as a fee-based service; 

survey takes approximately ten minutes to complete. 

Operation and Maintenance Resources

Example energy dashboard: http://158.59.255.83/ or go 

to https://discovery.apsva.us/ and click on Energy 

Dashboard in the left-hand menu. Discovery Elementary 

School, a ZE school in Arlington, Virginia, uses an ageappropriate energy dashboard as a teaching tool for 

students and the community.

Guide to Operating and Maintaining EnergySmart Schools: 

https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f5/ess_o-andm-guide.pdf. Information on how smart energy choices 

in schools can create lasting benefits for students, 

communities, and the environment.

Plug Load Resources

Plug loads: Advanced power strips: https://

betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/sites/default/files/

attachments/how_to_use_advanced_power_strips.pdf. 

DOE’s Better Buildings Alliance has resources for using 

advanced power strips in commercial buildings, and the 

strategies on its website can be applied to schools.

Plug and process load management resources: https://

betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/alliance/

technology-solution/plug-process-loads. DOE’s Better 

Buildings Alliance has resources for controlling plug and 

process loads in commercial buildings, and the strategies 

on its website can be applied to schools.

Portfolio Manager

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® 

Portfolio Manager®: https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/

facility-owners-and-managers/existing-buildings/useportfolio-manager. A secure online tool to measure and 

track energy and water consumption, benchmark the 

performance of one building or a whole portfolio of 

buildings, and compare energy use targets to similar 

existing buildings nationwide.

Specific School Resources

Virtual tour of Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School: 

http://www.kinardcares.org/kinard_green_school. Kinard is 

a highly energy-efficient (but not ZE) school building.

Horry County Schools: https://www.horrycountyschools.

net/. Located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Horry 

County Schools has student sustainability clubs called 

green teams.

Dunbar High School: http://www.perkinseastman.com/

project_3405944_dunbar_high_school, http://www.

perkinseastman.com/dynamic/document/week/asset/

download/3436982/3436982.pdf. Perkins-Eastman, the 

architectural firm that designed Dunbar High School in 

Washington, D.C., developed a performance evaluation 

framework that incorporates quantitative building 

measurements and qualitative occupant feedback. 

Updated resources for Step Seven: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep7.
Showcasing and 

Replicating a Zero 

Energy School

A local ZE school is a powerful tool for making the 

case that ZE schools provide dynamic learning 

environments at costs comparable to conventional 

schools. Using the successful school as a showcase, 

local advocates and school officials can move 

the district toward institutionalizing ZE in all new 

8

buildings and strategic retrofits. In locations where 

a ZE school hasn’t been built yet, the resources and 

references in this document—especially Achieving 

Zero Energy: Advanced Energy Design Guide for K–12 

School Buildings (a free download at https://www.

ashrae.org/aedg) (ASHRAE 2018)—provide a broad 

range of information to help make ZE school buildings 

the rule rather than the exception.

STEP EIGHT

Daylighting in the Curiosity Center at Emerald Elementary in Broomfield, Colorado, saves money on 

electricity and provides a bright, comfortable space for students and staff. Designed by RB+B Architects 

and Fielding Nair International, Photo by Paul Brokering Photography
54 Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School

By documenting the strategies that made the ZE 

school successful and creating compelling stories 

around the experience, continuously improving school 

performance and affordability, and institutionalizing 

ZE so that it becomes standard practice, school 

districts can make ZE schools commonplace. As the 

story becomes widely known, stakeholders will see ZE 

buildings as fundamental to the school district’s culture 

and not as a one-off experience. 

Documenting for Zero 

Energy Replication

Replicating a ZE project requires documentation 

that goes beyond keeping records of the design and 

building process. This documentation could include 

(but is not limited to) important decisions, barriers, and 

successes, including successful stakeholder and occupant 

engagement efforts. It also includes measuring and 

recording data (such as building energy data) to verify 

that the school building is operating at a low EUI.

Someone can be appointed as project “historian” or “story 

developer” to take charge of collecting this information. 

This person can identify the people best suited to tell 

the story to stakeholders, including members of the 

design team, teachers, principals, administrators, facilities 

maintenance personnel, students, and parents. The 

historian/story developer might use recorded interviews 

with subsequent transcription, open- or closed-ended 

questionnaires, or reflective writing or interviewing to 

capture anecdotes. 

Telling the Zero Energy Story

The information captured during this process can be 

used to develop a story about how the district achieved 

a ZE school building and the benefits it provides for 

teaching and learning. The story will help those who hear 

it understand that although there may be challenges as 

the ZE process evolves, the outcome—ZE schools—is well 

worth the effort. The story should engage listeners so they 

will tell others and will view ZE schools as the preferred 

choice for future buildings in the school system. 

Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, is a zero energy building that saves the district more than $100,000 per year on energy costs. Photo from VMDO Architects/©Lincoln Barbour
Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School 55

The historian can create a press release, presentations, 

and handouts with consistent messaging about the 

district’s first ZE school building. These will be useful 

resources that other district representatives (including 

the ZE champion, teachers, architects, engineers, 

facilities maintenance representatives, capital planners, 

construction managers, and school principals) can use 

to communicate with stakeholders and the broader 

community. It is helpful and engaging to build the 

story around the experiences of the people involved, 

and school district representatives can add their own 

personal twists to the stories when communicating 

with stakeholders.

ZE schools offer a rich array of narrative hooks that can be 

tailored to specific audiences. For example:

• For administrators and school boards, focus on 

affordable initial design and construction costs, 

predictable energy pricing over the life of the building, 

and superior educational outcomes

• For facility managers and operations and 

maintenance personnel, emphasize the use of simple 

and passive systems for heating, cooling, and lighting 

that reduce operations and maintenance costs, time, 

and effort

• For educators, describe how teachers in ZE schools 

have multiple opportunities to engage students in 

STEAM activities and how enthusiastic students are 

about their ZE schools

• For community members, explain what students, 

teachers, facility managers, administrators, and others 

love about these buildings and how a ZE school can 

become a gathering place for locals when school is 

not in session and a refuge in the event of a weather or 

other disaster. 

Problem Solving. As with any building system, 

technologies used in ZE buildings sometimes fail or work 

incorrectly. As they tell their story, school owners should 

avoid generalizations about technologies that don’t work 

well. Replacing an energy-efficient technology with a 

standard technology, for example, can have a significant 

negative impact on whole building energy use. 

School owners should also avoid blanket policies that 

rule out specific technologies because of a previous 

bad experience. Technologies improve over time, so 

prohibitive policies may make it unnecessarily harder 

(and often costlier) to achieve ZE in the future. A 

better strategy is to describe the desired outcome and 

emphasize durability or reliability rather than identifying 

a specific technology. 

Overall, the narrative should emphasize the importance 

of consistently considering the impact on the EUI goal 

as each challenge arises. This problem-solving approach 

is critical for replication because rather than discrediting 

technologies, it keeps all options open to designers or 

contractors competing to design and build the next ZE 

school. In addition, identifying the root cause, whether 

it is user error or an issue with a specific component, 

will help the building manager address the problem 

by educating building occupants, performing routine 

maintenance and repair, or submitting a warranty 

claim. The school district should document the issues 

and the approaches to resolving them and include the 

information in their storytelling. 

Photographs. Create a repository of photos of the ZE 

school building that can be used without copyright 

issues; this allows school district representatives to use 

the photos in presentations and for other purposes. 

Be mindful that architects’ photos are often owned 

by a professional photographer or the architectural 

firm and require explicit permission to use. Although 

photographers are often willing to allow one-time 

pro bono use of their work, it can be time-consuming 

to track them down and obtain permission. In some 

cases, schools can hire a photographer who—for an 

hourly or flat fee—will provide images to the school for 

unrestricted use as long as the photographer is 

credited. A school employee can also take photos for 

unrestricted use.

An example of a source of photos that can be used with 

attribution is NREL’s image library (see Resources for 

Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School in this 

step), which contains many images, for example, of the 

RSF, NREL’s ZE office building. The photos include pictures 

of the construction, specific RSF features, and the interior 

and exterior of the completed structure. These photos 

are frequently used by NREL staff in publications and 

presentations; they can also be used outside of NREL at 

no charge with proper attribution. 
56 Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School

If a photo contains people, a model release is likely 

required to use it. Some schools require parents to sign 

a model release for their minor children as part of the 

registration process, although they can usually opt out. 

Photos of children whose parents choose not to sign the 

release should not be used. 

Quotes. Collect quotes from happy occupants, owners, 

designers, and others. For a story tailored to parents of 

future students, the focus could be on student learning 

gains in a ZE building and could include relevant quotes 

from current students, teachers, and parents. Sometimes 

these quotes can be captured on video; see the Discovery 

Elementary School video case study at the end of this 

step for examples.

Website. Create a carefully curated, regularly updated 

website to tell the ongoing story of district ZE schools. 

Include the text of the OPR, RFP, and other documents. 

Showcase, in real time, the energy consumption and 

production of the building with an online dashboard. 

Signage. Use signage in the school to point out energy 

efficiency features and components.

Data. Support claims with evidence. Summarize energy 

use and financial data in a way that makes sense to the 

intended audience and places the ZE school in a broader 

context. Stakeholders want to know that the ZE building 

is cost-effective, so include accurate cost data. Details to 

include in the story can include: 

• Construction cost

• Building size

• Operational EUI compared with design EUI, and these 

can be contrasted with the typical range of EUIs 

within the school district to highlight the superior 

performance of the ZE school

• Energy features

» Experiences of students, teachers, and other 

occupants, which can include impacts on student 

academic performance and attendance, teacher 

retention rates, and overall occupant health (NBI 

2017) (see also Resources for Showcasing and 

Replicating a Zero Energy School in this step). 

Real world example. In presentations, videos, and other 

communications, the team that designed and built the ZE 

Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, tells a 

compelling story that addresses energy and educational 

goals, costs, and the design process. For examples of 

storytelling that have led to institutional change in 

Arlington, Virginia, see Resources for Showcasing and 

Replicating a Zero Energy School in this step.

Continuous Improvement

The process of designing, building, and operating a ZE 

school will likely improve each time it is repeated. A 

thorough evaluation of the most recent ZE school project 

reinforces this continuous improvement. The ZE project 

team will want to gather the information outlined in the 

Documenting for Zero Energy Replication section of this 

step to improve design, construction, procurement, and 

contracting processes. 

The best way to replicate and improve on the previous 

ZE project is by using a procurement process tailored to 

ZE for the new building. An effective approach is to have 

an open procurement competition for the second ZE 

building that seeks to improve upon the cost and energy 

performance of the previous ZE building. The designers 

and contractors who worked on the previous project now 

have experience achieving the ZE goal, and they can use 

the lessons learned to further reduce building energy use 

in subsequent projects. A bidding process that provides 

competitive pressure for the design and contractor 

team to produce a better design, take a fresh look at 

technologies and design techniques—which are always 

evolving—and propose a design that reflects the current 

state of the art is ideal.

A district’s second ZE building may face unique 

challenges. Expectations will be higher because the 

district has already proved it can accomplish ZE with its 

first building, but issues are just as likely to arise. With 

a second building, there is still a learning curve and 

the district and larger community may not have fully 

institutionalized ZE buildings (see Institutionalizing Zero 

Energy in this step for approaches to remedy that). To 

address these challenges, the school district can manage 

stakeholder expectations and set reasonable goals. 
Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School 57

conditions are different and construction costs are rising. 

Under these conditions, APS recognizes the importance 

of finding procurement alternatives for the PV arrays 

needed to achieve Fleet’s ZE goal. Solar power purchase 

agreements (PPAs) are great mechanisms for local school 

districts to have on-site solar at little to no up-front cost. 

Recently, APS awarded a PPA contract to a Virginia firm 

to provide solar arrays for Fleet and four other schools. 

Using a PPA allows APS to meet the ZE target at Fleet 

within the existing budget.

The example of Discovery Elementary, a successful ZE 

school, has helped APS institutionalize support for ZE. 

Discovery gives stakeholders, community members, 

and project teams confidence that the process can and 

should be repeated. With this success, APS has been 

able to generate support within the broader community 

for ZE as a realistic energy target for county and school 

buildings, especially for new construction. To streamline 

the process, APS has established performance criteria in 

its new construction RFPs that target ZE.12 In June 2018, 

the school board adopted the 2018–2024 Strategic Plan 

with stewardship as one of its core values. Stewardship 

encompasses the ability to create safe, healthy, and 

environmentally sustainable learning environments. 

This is nothing new—Arlington County has been 

supporting the design, construction, and operation of 

high-performance buildings that reduce environmental 

impact since 1999. In 2008, it formalized its policy for 

integrated facility sustainability (PIFS) for all government 

buildings. Because Discovery continues to operate as a 

ZE building, county building and energy managers and 

Partner Snapshot: Showcasing and 

Replicating a Zero Energy School in 

Arlington, Virginia 

The success of the Arlington Public Schools’ (APS’) 

Discovery Elementary School, which opened in 

September 2015, has paved the way locally for 

additional ZE schools. Other districts can use the welldocumented APS experience to replicate the process 

in their communities.

Alice West Fleet Elementary is the next APS elementary 

school under construction, and it has a ZE goal. Fleet’s 

design and construction process differs from Discovery 

primarily in its project delivery method (see Step Three: 

Including Zero Energy Goals in the Procurement 

Process and Step Four: Selecting a Design and 

Construction Team Committed to Zero Energy Goals in this 

ZE K–12 schools document). 

APS learned from Discovery that a design, bid, build 

approach left the school division vulnerable to risk in 

three ways: schedule delays, cost overruns, and quality 

assurance during construction. To address these issues, 

APS decided to use a CMAR delivery method for Fleet 

Elementary. CMAR allows APS to partner with a general 

contractor at the initial design stage, and that contractor 

works closely with the design team and the owner on 

trade-offs as the design develops. 

Another major difference between Discovery and Fleet 

is that APS purchased Discovery’s PV system. During 

Fleet’s design and construction process, local economic 

The success of Discovery Elementary School, a zero energy school in Arlington, Virginia, has been the impetus for other ZE schools in the area. Photo from VMDO Architects/©Alan Karchmer
58 Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School

Institutionalizing Zero Energy

Institutionalizing ZE means that ZE design, construction, 

and performance becomes routine, happens in most 

district buildings, and entails continuous improvement 

so that each new ZE building achieves a lower EUI and/

or a lower cost, surpassing the performance of previous 

ZE buildings. It involves post-project communication and 

stakeholder engagement (building on elements of Step 

Two and the storytelling guidance in this step), but—

perhaps more importantly—it also involves including 

energy targets and performance criteria in policies, plans, 

and practices that influence energy performance in 

school facilities. Here are some key approaches (Cortese 

et al. 2018).

The facility master plan is an evolving document 

that assesses existing school facilities, establishes 

how to accommodate current and future needs, and 

addresses significant deferred maintenance challenges. 

Often developed by a leadership team consisting of 

administrators, demographers, architects, engineers, and 

other consultants, the facility master plan serves as a 

guide for investments and capital improvements across 

the district’s portfolio. Not all districts have a facility 

master plan, and not all facility master plans mention 

energy performance. 

Educational specifications provide information to 

architects for the design of school facilities and include 

space, furnishing, site, program, and performance 

requirements for various school types (primary, middle, 

secondary) and space types (classroom, labs, common 

spaces, etc.).

School districts use OPRs to formally outline objectives 

and expectations for a particular construction project. 

They describe the project, budget, functional space and 

use requirements (i.e., building program and occupancy 

patterns), design process expectations, sustainability 

goals, building components, and equipment 

specifications and specific performance criteria. An OPR 

document can guide overall district objectives and can 

be modified for a particular project. Including energy 

targets and the role of renewables is an important part 

of an OPR on a ZE project. For an example of an OPR 

focused on sustainability, see Resources for Showcasing 

and Replicating a Zero Energy School in this step.

others can examine the building and its operational 

data and use that to inform current building projects. 

Arlington County is in the process of updating PIFS for 

new construction and major renovation (also called 

the Green Building Policy) to include EUI targets and 

ZER goals. One of the PIFS goals is to set a community 

standard for sustainable building practices. In addition 

to Alice West Fleet Elementary, APS’ next ZE school, 

Arlington County’s Lubber Run Community Center will 

be a ZER building. 

Discovery demonstrates that a ZE school not only 

reduces energy costs (by about $100,000 per year in 

Discovery’s case), but can also enhance and improve 

the working and learning environment for staff and 

students—all within a conventional school budget. 

The design team did not sacrifice other sustainability 

goals to achieve ZE. Discovery’s healthy, durable 

school design includes natural daylight and improved 

indoor air quality. The design team’s attention to 

detail in the flexible learning spaces, enhanced indoor 

environment, and extremely energy-efficient building 

envelope and systems resulted in an optimal working 

and learning environment for staff and students. 

Steps Four (Selecting a Design and Construction Team 

Committed to Zero Energy Goals), Five (Integrating 

Zero Energy Goals into Design), and Six (Achieving Zero 

Energy Goals during Construction and Commissioning) 

in this document were critical to Discovery’s 

success. Although APS has long had environmental 

sustainability design goals and LEED benchmarks for 

new construction, Discovery’s design team took APS 

to the next level by championing the ZE energy target. 

The design team’s previous experience designing ZE 

schools and its commitment to seeing the project 

through the construction process and into operation 

made ZE achievable. The design team’s approach to 

a sound building envelope, constructability, a target 

energy use intensity of 21 kBtu/ft2·yr, and continued 

involvement after the building was occupied 

established a level of trust with the owners and 

demonstrated to APS a sound process for building ZE 

schools. 

12. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/RFP-02FY18-for-NES-atReed-AE-v10.pdf, APS Performance Criteria in RFP for the New Elementary School 

at the Reed Site, p. 6–7.
Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School 59

Energy benchmarking is “the practice of comparing 

the measured performance of a device, process, 

facility, or organization to itself, its peers, or established 

norms, with the goal of informing and motivating 

performance improvement (DOE n.d.-e).” Like the rest of 

the commercial building market, schools are beginning 

to benchmark their building performance. In most 

districts, however, schools are not using benchmarking 

to strategically evaluate energy performance or 

develop approaches to improve energy performance. 

An exception is California, where the California Energy 

Commission requires benchmarking as a prerequisite 

for securing Proposition 39 funds. (Eligible local 

educational agencies can request funding by 

submitting an energy expenditure plan application to 

the California Energy Commission.)

Resources for Showcasing and 

Replicating a Zero Energy School

American Geophysical Union’s ZE renovation project: 

https://building.agu.org/about-the-project/. Intention

is to be first ZE renovation of an existing building in 

the District of Columbia, and has an extensive 

outreach effort.

Designing for the Future: Zero Energy Ready K–12 

Schools: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/68883.pdf. 

Four-page fact sheet focused on the benefits of designing 

and building ZER K–12 schools. 

Discovery Elementary School video case 

study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_

continue=35&v=2kTS4UODWwc. Short video about 

Discovery Elementary School, a ZE school in 

Arlington, Virginia.

Evidence from scientific literature about improved 

academic performance: https://www.epa.gov/iaqschools/evidence-scientific-literature-about-improvedacademic-performance. A series of articles on how 

comfortable, healthy school environments improve 

student performance and teacher retention. 

Hood River Middle School: https://energytrust.org/

pathtonetzero/. With funding from the Energy Trust 

of Oregon, the Hood River Middle School science 

center provides a living laboratory for students and 

a path to ZE in larger projects. 

NREL’s image library: https://images.nrel.gov/bp/#/. 

Collection of photo resources related to renewable 

energy and energy efficiency.

SFUSD [San Francisco Unified School District] Project 

Requirements: https://gettingtozeroforum.org/wp-content/

uploads/sites/2/2017/08/OwnersProjectRequirements_

SFUSD.pdf. OPR developed by SFUSD.

Zero Energy Schools: Architects Take the Lead: 

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/68882.pdf. Fourpage fact sheet focused on Discovery Elementary 

School in Arlington, Virginia.

Zero Energy Schools: The Challenges: https://www.nrel.gov/

docs/fy17osti/68881.pdf. Four-page fact sheet focused on 

ZE school challenges and solutions.

Updated resources for Step Eight: https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/k12ZEstep8.
60 References

References

ASHRAE. 2013a. Standard 55-2013: Thermal 

Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy. https://

www.ashrae.org/resources--publications/bookstore/

standard-55-and-user-s-manual.

ASHRAE. 2013b. Standard 202-2013—Commissioning 

Process for Buildings and Systems. “Appendix K—Issues 

and Resolutions Log.” Available for purchase at https://

www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/bookstore/

commissioning-essentials. 

ASHRAE. 2018. Achieving Zero Energy: Advanced Energy 

Design Guide for K–12 School Buildings. Free download at 

https://www.ashrae.org/aedg. 

Bonnema, Eric, Shanti Pless, Paul Torcellini, Daniel 

Studer, and David Goldwasser. 2016. Technical Feasibility 

Study for Zero Energy K–12 Schools. Golden, CO: National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-5500-67233. 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1981.

Cortese, Amy, Mark Lyles, Reilly Loveland, and Mary 

Sutter. 2018. "Zeroing in on Energy Performance in 

New and Existing Schools." 2018 ACEEE Summer Study 

on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. https://newbuildings.

org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ACE3SS2018Cortese_

ZeroingInOnSchools.pdf.

DBIA (Design-Build Institute of America). 2009. “What is 

Design-Build?” Accessed Feb. 12, 2018. https://www.dbia.

org/about/Pages/What-is-Design-Build.aspx. 

DOE. n.d.-a. Zero Energy K–12 School Case Studies, 

Commercial Buildings Resource Database. Accessed Nov. 

3, 2018. https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/search/

resources/zero%20energy%20k-12%20school%20case%20

studies?page=1&f%5B0%5D=im_field_resource_type_

superset%3A341. 

DOE. n.d.-b. Commercial Buildings Resource Database, 

NREL RSF. Accessed Nov. 4, 2018. https://buildingdata.

energy.gov/cbrd/search/resources/nrel%20rsf. 

Richardsville Elementary, the first zero energy public school in the United States, operates at an EUI of kBtu/ft2·yr, and produces more energy than it uses. The district receives an annual refund from the electric 

utility of more than $30,000 for the excess generation. Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects, Photo by Joshua White
References 61

DOE. n.d.-c. Commercial Buildings Resource Database, ZE 

retrofit. Accessed Nov. 4, 2018. https://buildingdata.energy.

gov/cbrd/search/resources/zero%20energy%20retrofit. 

DOE. n.d.-d. Guide to Financing EnergySmart Schools. 

Accessed Nov. 6, 2018. https://www1.eere.energy.gov/

buildings/publications/pdfs/energysmartschools/ess_

financeguide_0708.pdf. 

DOE. n.d.-e. Building Energy Use Benchmarking. https://

www.energy.gov/eere/slsc/building-energy-usebenchmarking.

DOE. 2015. A Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings. 

https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1938. 

EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration). n.d. How 

much energy is consumed in U.S. residential and commercial 

buildings? Accessed Nov. 19, 2018. Last updated May 3, 

2018. https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=86&t=1. 

EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). n.d. Portfolio 

Manager. Accessed Nov. 3, 2018. https://www.energystar.

gov/buildings/facility-owners-and-managers/existingbuildings/use-portfolio-manager. 

Grand View Research Inc. 2017a. "Net-Zero Energy 

Buildings Market Size Worth $78.79 Billion By 2025." 

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/globalnet-zero-energy-buildings-nzebs-market. 

Grand View Research Inc. 2017b. "Net-Zero Energy 

Buildings (NZEBs) Market Analysis 2018–2015; Industry 

Insights." https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industryanalysis/net-zero-energy-buildings-nzebs-market. 

Griffith, Brent, Long, Nicholas, Torcellini, Paul, Judkoff, 

Ron, Crawley, Drury, and Ryan, J. 2007. Assessment of the 

Technical Potential for Achieving Net Zero-Energy Buildings 

in the Commercial Sector. NREL/TP-550-41957. https://www.

nrel.gov/docs/fy08osti/41957.pdf.

IES (Illuminating Engineering Society). n.d. IES Standards. 

Accessed Nov. 6, 2018. https://www.ies.org/standards/. 

Molenaar, K.S. 2009. Sustainable, High Performance 

Projects and Project Delivery Methods: A State-of-Practice 

Report. University of Colorado, University of Oklahoma, 

Michigan State University, Pennsylvania State University. 

The Charles Pankow Foundation and The Design-Build 

Institute of America. https://www.researchgate.net/

publication/267683559_Sustainable_High_Performance_

Projects_and_Project_Delivery_Methods_A_State-ofPractice_Report. 

NBI (New Buildings Institute). 2017. Getting to Zero: Zero 

Energy Schools Stakeholder Engagement and Messaging. 

https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/

GtZ_ZEStakeholderEngagement.pdf. 

NBI. 2018. 2018 Getting to Zero Status Update and 

List of Zero Energy Projects. https://newbuildings.org/

resource/2018-getting-zero-status-update/. 

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PVWatts® Calculator. https://pvwatts.nrel.gov. 

Pless, Shanti, Paul Torcellini, Jennifer Scheib, Bob 

Hendron, and Matthew Leach. 2012. How-To Guide 

for Energy-Performance-Based Procurement. Golden, 

CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/

TP-5500-56705. https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/

resource/1310.

Torcellini, Paul and Shanti Pless. 2018a. “Zero 

Energy—Coming Soon to a School Near You.” 

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org/gscatalyst/march_2018/MobilePagedArticle.

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Design Guide K–12: Next Generation of School Design & 

Operation.” ASHRAE Journal 60:1 (January): 30–40. https://

www.osti.gov/biblio/1416254.
62 Acronyms

Acronyms

APS Arlington Public Schools

BVSD Boulder Valley School District

CHPS Collaborative for High Performance Schools 

CMAR construction manager at risk

CxA commissioning agent

DB design-build 

DBB design-bid-build 

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DCSD Douglas County School District

EMIS energy management information system

EUI energy use intensity

HVAC heating, ventilating, and air conditioning

IES Illuminating Engineering Society

kBtu/ft2·yr thousand British thermal units 

per square foot per year

LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

M&V measurement and verification

NBI New Buildings Institute

NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory

OPR owner’s project requirements

PPA power purchase agreement

SFUSD San Francisco Unified School District

STEAM science, technology, engineering, art, and math

PV solar photovoltaic

QA quality assurance

RFP request for proposal

RSF Research Support Facility

ZE K12 AEDG Achieving Zero Energy: Advanced Energy 

Design Guide for K–12 School Buildings 

ZESA Zero Energy Schools Accelerator

ZE zero energy

ZER zero energy ready

Students from Chatfield High School in Littleton, Colorado, examine the photovoltaic system on the roof of their school during an engineering class. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 22274
63
64 Step 8: Showcasing and Replicating a Zero Energy School

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

15013 Denver West Parkway 

Golden, CO 80401

303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

NREL/TP-5500-72847 • August 2019

NREL prints on paper that contains recycled content.

Meadowlark School is a new energy-efficient pre-K through eighth grade facility in Erie, Colorado. Photo by Fred J. Fuhrmeister/Time Frame Images