Education

K-12, It's Time to Take Note

Convia offers an energy-efficient platform that can save your school district money, while creating a greener environment for teachers and students. Convia controls can also save your district tens of thousands of dollars annually, and may actually help students improve their academic performance.

Convia is the perfect partner for K-12 schools. With one integrated platform, the Convia system can help save energy, which will save schools money on utility bills.

We can help you save energy and the environment — all in one integrated program.

How much energy can schools really save?

American Kindergarten through grade 12 schools currently spend more than $6 billion annually on energy costs – more than they spend on books and computers combined.

If all new school construction and school renovations went “green” starting today, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 years.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) estimates schools could save a minimum of 25% of their annual energy costs – or $1.5 billion – by improving energy efficiency.

Once a school achieves energy efficiency with Convia, the Energy Track reporting tool continually monitors how well a space is performing. Understanding the energy use of a classroom, auditorium, library, office, gymnasium, hallway, and other public spaces gives administrators the power to make continual adjustments to ensure schools can be both comfortable places to live and learn, as well as examples of exceedingly effective power management. Ongoing optimization ensures schools continue to save money on electricity in the years ahead.

Greening School Design is Cost-Effective

The financial benefits of “greening” schools are about $70/square foot, more than 20 times more than the initial cost of going green. A portion of these savings accrues directly to an individual school. Lower energy and water costs, improved teacher retention, and lowered health costs can save green schools directly about $12/square foot – which can equal enough money to hire an additional full-time teacher.

The Convia system can be installed in new or retrofitted buildings, and the cost is comparable to traditional controls systems. The difference is that with Convia, the level of control and ongoing optimization is not only unmatched, but the financial return is proven. Thanks to more competent energy management, schools save money on monthly utility bills and may also qualify for broader incentives offered by power companies.

The US Department of Energy estimates that an additional 20% of energy can be saved in buildings when continuous commissioning is used.

Companies and universities using Convia can generally expect to see a savings of up to 30% over the most aggressive energy baseline in the U.S. today. (ASHRAE 90.1 2004)

With Convia, Everyone Benefits

Convia-enabled components are 100 % reusable, which means a school’s investment in controls is safe – electrical reconfiguration of a space is not only easy, but results in components that go back into the infrastructure of the school, instead of into a landfill. Convia also contributes to LEED® 2009 certification.

Convia Classroom Features

The following features can be integrated into an energy management strategy at the classroom level:

OCCUPANCY SENSING
Lights automatically turn on when people enter the classroom and turn off when they leave, ensuring maximum savings when the space is unoccupied.

SCENE SETTINGS
Teachers can prepare the room for different teaching modes with the touch of a button on a scene controller or through the Convia Global Gateway. Pre-set scenes for “quiet time” or “smart board instruction” allow lighting level changes throughout the day based on the activity in a classroom.

DAYLIGHT HARVESTING
Available daylight is used to keep the classroom lit and lights will automatically dim to reflect the amount of natural daylight in the classroom.

ENERGY MONITORING
Students see, in real time, the energy the classroom is consuming and learn how small changes can have a big impact. Users and administrators can see power usage in real time and can use that information to plan for future energy optimization.

PLUG LOAD CONTROL
Automated power sweeps after school ensure that there are no electrical devices left on over night.

Green Schools Outperform Conventional Schools

In a 2005 Survey of Green Buildings commissioned for Turner Construction Company, “green” schools did indeed perform better in several areas:

Green Schools Make Better Environmental Education

Schools with an environmentally conscious energy management approach embody the energy goals set by local, state, and federal government initiatives.

“Green schools connect children to the real world in unimaginable ways. They inspire kids to want to read and do math and learn, so they can protect what they love – the oceans, the forests and wetlands, their friends and families. As parents and as communities, we owe kids healthy, nurturing environments that also teach and inspire them. That’s what green schools do.” – Kelly Meyer, Environmental Advocate

Convia Makes the Grade

Your students, teachers, school district, and your environment will all benefit from an aggressive strategy to minimize costs and maximize benefits for learning. Convia makes it easy – one single system to manage your whole school.

» Click here to learn more from one our specialized education representatives.