Energy Efficiency Improvement in K-12 Schools: A Case Study in Florida

K-12 schools are responsible for over 1.4% of the total annual energy consumption in the United States. In a collaboration between Florida Institute of Technology and Brevard Public Schools (BPS), three schools are identified for a case study in Melbourne, FL, representing the hot and humid climate. A simple and replicable energy audit procedure is developed and conducted for the three schools to establish an understanding on the baseline energy consumption and energy end users and identify and evaluate effective energy efficiency measures (EEMs). Several EEMs are investigated and five EEMs associated with lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and on-site solar power generation are selected for detailed analysis. It is determined that implementing the five recommendations will result in total of 58% reduction in the schools’ energy cost with an overall payback period of 8.4 years. The benefits of such project for schools are discussed from energy, economic, environmental, and educational perspectives. The results of this study provide insights regarding prioritizing energy efficiency projects in K-12 schools in hot and humid climate. The developed approach can be conveniently used for energy assessment in other schools and can serve as a method for training engineering students to perform energy audit.