Image: Participants are from all over the U.S.!

Efficient and Healthy Schools Update!

As of August 2023, 164 participants (schools and districts), representing a staggering 4 million students across 45 states, have already signed up for the Campaign to utilize federal technical support and earn national recognition for projects at the intersection of energy performance and health.

Additionally, we have 285 dedicated supporters from various sectors, ranging from contractors to state and regional agencies, all fiercely devoted to making the vision of energy-efficient and healthy schools a reality. Don't miss your chance to be part of this rapidly expanding network of schools, districts, and supporters; join the Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign today!

Join the Campaign!

Technical Assistance Highlights

Building Energy Use Benchmarking

Image: example dashboard - ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

What is Energy Use Benchmarking? When applied to building energy use, benchmarking measures energy performance of a single building over time, relative to other similar buildings, in reference to a specific standard (such as an energy code). Energy benchmarking turns your utility bill data into reports you can act on.

Benefits of Energy Use Benchmarking:

Comparing your school or district's energy use to similar facilities to assess opportunities for improvement
Identify underperforming buildings in your district to target for efficiency improvements
Quantify energy savings, share and report performance
Earn recognition by being a top performing school in the district or through ENERGY STAR certification (75 or higher score)

Interested in getting started with Energy Benchmarking? Great! Learn more about ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. We can provide direct one-on-one assistance to get you started and help out along the way. Email schools@lbl.gov.

Resources and Opportunities

Register now for a School Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Workshop in Washington, D.C.!

Image: School IAQ workshop at Berkeley Lab, June 2023

The Center for Green Schools and the U.S. Department of Energy's Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign, in coordination with the U.S. EPA, are hosting a free in-person training for K-12 school staff focused on developing or strengthening district IAQ management plans and sharing the most up-to-date best practices for continuous IAQ monitoring.

The upcoming training will take place on October 18-19, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Travel stipends are available to support K-12 school staff in attending the event - please apply by September 22nd if you would like to be considered for travel assistance.

Learn more about the workshop and register for the October event!

Free Webinar: Funding School Infrastructure - Advocacy and Impact

October 5th 11am PT/2pm ET

This virtual event features leaders from the American Institute of Architects, the 21st Century School Fund, U.S. Departments of Education and Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to discuss the state of our K-12 school facilities. Learning objectives include:

Identify current conditions at public PreK-12 school facilities — the “state of our schools.”
Describe potential improvements and strengthen aspirations important to public-school communities.
Identify federal resources currently available to improve public school facilities.
Understand and advocate for legislation designed to develop appropriately scaled federal programs that encourage equitable access to healthy, safe, sustainable, resilient, and educationally excellent PreK-12 buildings and grounds.

Guidance to Control Airborne Infection Risks -

What Schools Need to Know

In preparation for the new school year, there's new guidance from both CDC and ASHRAE that schools can rely on when deciding what actions to take to reduce airborne infection risks.

Click the link below to hear from Kenneth Mead, Ph.D., PE, CDC Chief of the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch in the NIOSH Division of Field Studies and Engineering, and William Bahnfleth, Ph.D., PE, Chair of the ASHRAE Standard 241 Project Committee, on what schools must know to be better prepared to reduce airborne infection risks.

Webinar Recording

Related Campaign Updates

Integrated Lighting Campaign Recognition

Morenci Area Schools (Morenci, MI) was recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category for investing $1.4 million in energy system improvements in their schools. Improvements include lighting controls, LED lighting upgrades, new building automation controls, and an energy management system. The upgrades are expected to save more than $1 million in energy and operational costs and nearly 490,000 kWh over 10 years.

Ortega Middle School (Alamosa, CO) was recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category. When the school began a pilot project of color-tuning fixtures in two classrooms, teacher feedback was so positive that when the school decided to replace asbestos ceiling tiles and install new LED fixtures, it was an easy decision to install color-tuning lights throughout the building.

Kinnelon High School (Kinnelon, NJ) was recognized under the Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV) Systems for Energy Savings and Improved Indoor Air Quality category. During the pandemic, Kinnelon High School explored how they could use federal funding to ensure ongoing sanitization and improve indoor air quality in shared learning spaces.

About the campaign: The U.S. Department of Energy's Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) is a recognition and guidance program designed to help facility owners, operators and managers save energy and money in their facilities, including schools. Read more about the recent recognition recipients!

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To learn more, visit

efficienthealthyschools.lbl.gov