School Energy Facts

• K-12 school buildings in the U.S. use an average of 10 kWh of electricity and 50 cubic feet of natural gas per square foot annually.
• The average public school building is forty-two years old and was not designed to meet the growing demands of today's energy loads.
• In 2008, a typical school district paid $1.25/square foot annually for energy. A mid-sized school district with 800,000 square feet of space pays more than $1M annually for energy.
• Space heating, cooling, and lighting together account for nearly 70% of school total energy use.
• Plug loads constitute one of the top three electric energy end uses, after lighting and cooling.
• According to the National Center for Education Statistics, per pupil energy expenditure rose 19% from 2007 to 2008 while inflation was only 4%.
• The cost of energy is one of the few things that can be reduced without negatively affecting classroom instruction.