Join Us: Program Kickoff Webinar October 9

(Pictured above: Efficient and Healthy Schools 2023–2024 recognition honorees. Photo credit: The Unfound Door LLC.)

Join the Efficient and Healthy Schools Program team on October 9 to learn about our 2024–2025 recognition program. The program is a great opportunity to showcase national leadership that prioritizes students and staff by addressing energy efficiency and health in school buildings.

Our kickoff webinar will feature speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) who will discuss recognition objectives: to honor schools and districts that are leading the way in their efforts to improve energy performance and promote a healthy learning environment. The webinar will also provide an overview of the submission process and timeline.

Interested schools and districts, and their supporters, are encouraged to register for the webinar to find out more about the recognition program, free technical assistance offerings, resources and other opportunities.

October 9, 2024

11:00 am Pacific | 2:00 pm Eastern

Congratulations to 2024 Renew America's Schools Winners!

The U.S. Department of Energy announced 21 Phase 1 Prize Winners of the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize and Grant. These Prize Winners will receive a $300,000 cash prize for building diverse teams, identifying portfolios of eligible facilities with compelling need for investment, and outlining processes for project planning and design. Sixteen of the Prize Winners have additionally been selected to move on to Phases 2 and 3, during which they will enter and execute cooperative agreements with DOE for awards ranging from $7.5 million to $15 million. Their projects will:

Create cleaner, healthier learning spaces at 320 school facilities across 25 states
Directly benefit over 123,500 students and 9,100 teachers
Generate operational cost savings so that school districts can redirect funds to core educational initiatives.

The Renew America’s Schools Program anticipates opening applications for a third round of funding in the Fall of 2025. Stay tuned to their website for information about future opportunities.

Apply to Join This Year's Energy CLASS

Are you among energy personnel in schools looking to access training, coaching, and peer learning in order to better position your schools for infrastructure upgrades? Apply now to join the 2024–2025 Energy Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools (Energy CLASS) training sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP).

The 2024–2025 Energy CLASS will provide up to 50 school districts coaching and 1:1 expert advice on strategic energy management, project development, funding pathways, and related topics to advance their district’s sustainability goals. Submissions are due on October 4, 2024, at midnight ET.

Training Application for 2024–2025 Energy CLASS

For those who are interested in free on-demand training, recordings from the 2023-2024 Energy CLASS program are available. These recordings include training on strategic energy management, indoor air quality, resilience, funding pathways, and related topics to advance the fiscal and environmental sustainability of their schools.

Watch previous training session recordings here

Best Practices

Case Study: Los Angeles Unified School District

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator has recently published a case study featuring Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) utilizing electric heat pump technologies to achieve their energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. LAUSD has 13,500 buildings, totaling 70 million square feet of building space, and has replaced 65% of their decentralized HVAC units with electric heat pumps. The district started by replacing the smaller gas units ranging from 5 to 10 tons as they reached the end of their life with electric units. LAUSD has started heat pump training for their engineering and maintenance staff to ensure issues can be addressed quickly. They have equipped all of their electric units with advanced controls that allow for centralized monitoring to facilitate maintenance and ensure efficient operations.

Integrated Lighting Campaign Recognizes Schools

Congratulations to Avenues World School (New York Campus), Indian Community School, Salt Lake City School District, and Washington State School for the Blind for receiving 2024 recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC). These schools were among the 16 organizations recognized by the ILC for exemplary commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility in their buildings and outdoor spaces. Honorees were recognized on August 16 at the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) annual conference for projects that showcase how lighting system upgrades can lead to significant energy savings and create more comfortable spaces for occupants.

Opportunities and Resources

Help for Grant Seekers

Looking for assistance with navigating grant opportunities? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC) Program is a network of centers providing direct technical assistance, training, and capacity-building support to communities and organizations to advance environmental and energy justice priorities. The Centers provide training and other assistance to build capacity of school districts, local grassroots nonprofit organizations and other similar community stakeholders in navigating federal, state, and private grant application systems such as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, writing stronger grant proposals, and effectively managing grant funding. To learn more, visit EPA’s EJ TCTAC website.

K-12 Energy Efficiency Student Toolkit

New! EPA's K-12 Energy Efficiency Student Toolkit is designed for K-12 students who want to jump-start or enhance their school’s energy management program. Students will learn how to benchmark and understand their school's energy use, conduct an energy efficiency treasure hunt to pinpoint opportunities for improvement, and increase awareness of indoor environmental quality in their school. Follow this guidebook to encourage your school community to adopt energy-efficient habits and spread the word.

Power Your Future Challenge

Timeline: Challenge lanch Aug. 6; Info session Sept 10; Submissions close Nov. 19; Judging begins November 2024; Winner announcement February 2025.

The U.S. Department of Education recently launched the Power Your Future Challenge. The nationwide challenge invites high school teams to submit innovative action plans that will advance the use of clean energy in their schools and communities. By participating, teachers and students will get hands-on experience designing clean energy solutions that can make a real-world impact. The challenge also connects center and technical education (CTE) students to the vast career opportunities in clean energy and other vital infrastructure industries.

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To learn more, visit

efficienthealthyschools.lbl.gov