Improving energy use in schools: from IEQ towards energy-efficient planning—method and in-field application to two case studies

The presented work is part of a wider research project, entitled Energy Efficient Schools (Escolas Energeticamente Eficientes, 3Es), granted by Teixeira Duarte on the framework of the Portuguese Program of R&D Projects associated to Large Public Tenders. The authors are thankful to Parque Escolar E.P.E. for the provision of the database on the Portuguese secondary schools. The presented work is framed under the Energy for Sustainability Initiative of the University of Coimbra and LAETA (Associated Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aeronautics) Project Pest E/EME/LA0022/2011 and was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology under grant SFRH/BD/77105/2011.Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy conservation in schools are complex challenges. A significant part of the energy demand in these buildings addresses ventilation and temperature indoors. When confronted with money/energy constraints, the tendency of school boards is to cut on IEQ requirements, compromising the comfort of the occupants or worse, their health. Besides local energy production, either electrical or heating, major focus on Building Management Systems’ (BMS) operation has been suggested, aiming at developing evidence-based energy conservation measures. Based on two field-studies, a joint approach of energy and IEQ auditing was developed, establishing a stateof-the-art of the current situation of the secondary schools in Portugal. The present study aims at enhancing energy efficiency in schools unveiling that it is possible to improve the HVAC systems’ operation and optimize energy use and costs, while maintaining good environmental conditions. This paper also seeks to contribute to the implementation of Energy Efficiency Plans (EEP) in school buildings, presenting a comprehensive methodological approach on energy consumption in this typology of buildings, centered on the fundamental role of BMS and their proper programming. The obtained results show that there is a considerable potential for reducing energy consumption and improving energy use – in one of the schools by simply adjusting the BMS operation schedule, a decrease between 20 – 36 % of the useful thermal energy consumption is expected (14.1 – 24.7 kWh/m2); in other occasions, a significant IEQ improvement is expected due to longer HVAC running period