In 2023, Amory Lovins, co-founder of the energy organization Rocky Mountain Institute, claimed that “energy efficiency resources are infinitely expendable resources of ideas, depleting only stupidity, a very abundant resource”. In other words, he is confident that there are abundant, often overlooked opportunities to cut energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although growing investments for energy efficiency led to appreciable results in many countries——in 2022, global energy efficiency increased two times faster——the generation of electricity through burning fossil fuels still contributes to 600 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission every year in the United States. This excess emission contributes to global warming, as carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere act as a greenhouse gas that traps the infrared radiation re-emitted by Earth, leading to increase in global temperature.
Fig 1. This diagram from the International Energy Agency shows how energy waste is a huge, preventable problem, as 177 EJ of energy (29.2% of the total energy generated) and $840 billion are lost every year due to production inefficiencies. This proves that cutting losses in extraction, fuel processing and power generation, could save money and reduce emissions.
As shown by MIT’s EnROADS simulator, if energy efficiency of new buildings and industries increases from the current 1.2% each year to 3.5% each year, global temperature rise in 2100 will decrease by 0.3 °C compared to the current estimation of 3.3°C. Financially, wasted energy amounts to 4.6 trillion dollars per year, almost 5% of global GDP. These figures articulate the urgency to increase energy efficiency since it is crucial for both environmental benefits and economic savings. By reducing overall energy waste, a society where more people have equal access to clean air and affordable energy costs can be fostered.
High schools can be on the frontline of optimizing energy usage. For this article, we sought an outside perspective by interviewing Mr. Darren Malone, Director of Facilities and Sustainable Planning at Stuart Country Day School, to learn how the school reduced energy consumption more than 40 percent through a New Jersey Pay4Performance project. He described the project as “a comprehensive approach to increasing a building’s efficiency that offers financial [support] to offset the cost of improvements to the building.” Pay4Performance offers a targeted, holistic approach to increase energy efficiency: “[it] looks at everything from the building envelope (walls, roof, windows) to the types of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and the resultant energy consumption,” Malone said. Following the improvements, a full-year performance evaluation is conducted as part of the project, where the actual efficiency gains are compared to the predicted performance and the pre-project baseline. Stuart was involved in two Pay4Performance projects.
Malone introduced the installation of variable frequency drives (VFDs) on equipment throughout campus. “VFDs are electronic controls that allow motors to run at variable percentages of operation. It’s like having a car and being able to sit still at a stop, then drive at any speed in between, instead of only having the option to have a zero velocity or to go at full speed,” he said. VFDs also ensure a pleasant environment on campus, as Malone further explained: “you can imagine it’s more efficient, but it may also be more comfortable, [for instance,] there is no need for the air conditioning fan to run at full speed on a nice spring day.”
Beyond the Pay4Performance project, Stuart monitors campus energy consumption through a network of sensors. “[The sensor] provides real-time data on everything, such as room temperature and humidity level,” Malone states. The data is analyzed to assess the energy efficiency of the school.
The Lawrenceville School has a different approach to maintain comfortable temperature year-round while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Lawrenceville’s Geo-Exchange system, containing 114 bores that are each 500 feet deep, utilizes the stable underground ambient temperatures, relying on convection to transfer heat efficiently. In winter, the system absorbs heat from the ground as warm fluid rises through the pipes. In summer, excess heat from the building is released, where it dissipates through both conduction and convection in the surrounding rock and soil.
Although building electrification is recommended as an approach to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, it’s not yet feasible for many institutions. As Malone suggests, “[because] the existing building systems are natural gas based, the conversion [to building electrification] would be cost prohibitive and virtually impossible to implement without impacting the school year schedule.” And while the Stuart Country Day School sought a solution through solar panels, Malone states that “the current politics will dissuade use of renewable and low carbon solutions in favor of the fossil fuel industries.”
Therefore, to achieve the vision for higher energy efficiency, governments can revise policy frameworks and offer more financial incentives like the Pay4Performance project, as improving energy efficiency is not only an environmental and economic necessity but also an ethical responsibility. As Robin Wall Kimmerer states in The Grammar of Animacy, efforts like this that recognize our interconnectedness and responsibility to natural resources are crucial.
