"The built environment has a profound impact on our natural environment, economy, health and productivity. In the United States, (construction of) buildings account for 36% of total energy use, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and 12% of potable water consumption" (U.S. Green Building Council, 2006). Both initial design/construction and life-cycle planning are important factors to develop sustainable solutions. At PHS, the amount of construction suggests significant opportunities for improvement, as well as teaching opportunities for staff and contractors.

Utilize sustainable or green design principles for all new construction and rehabs. When financially and socially appropriate, utilize LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards relative to:

Insulation, secondary glazings, and weather-stripping. Consider insulation, secondary glazings, and weather-stripping after the quick fixes of turning things down and off and tuning your HVAC equipment. Older buildings are notoriously energy inefficient because they leak. Insulation, secondary glazings, and weather-stripping hold heat, and they are more cost-effective for older buildings that are continually occupied (and must continually hold heat).

Entries. During times of high occupancy, entryways allow heating and cooling to escape your building. To reduce losses, construct an interior divider, separating the entryway from the common area of the building.

Windows. Replacing windows is expensive. In cold climates, your community may find it cost-effective to replace old, single-pane windows with more energy-efficient (low-emissivity) windows. If not, an alternative is window film, which typically costs between $1.35 and $3.00/ft2 to install. Window film generally has a lifetime of 7 to 12 years, but it must be installed properly to avoid bubbles, cracks, or damage to your windows. Window film is not appropriate for stained-glass windows because they are uneven. For stained-glass windows, protective glazing such as laminated glass or polycarbonate will decrease drafts, but without proper ventilation and proper glazing may cause damage to the stained glass. On plain-glass windows, use window treatments like drapes and shades and, on walls of south-facing windows, awnings or window film to block solar heat gain in the summer and reduce air conditioning.

Cool roofs. These are not suitable for all communities, but if your roof needs recoating or painting, consider white or some other highly reflective color to minimize the amount of heat the building absorbs. This change can often reduce peak cooling demand by 15 to 20 percent.

Maximize longevity, remodel or retrofit wherever possible. Restoration, renovation, and adaptive re-use of buildings offer the greatest opportunity for conservation of energy, saving the energy to produce, transport, construct, install, and dispose of materials.

Incorporate renewable energy technologies, including day-light and passive solar. Include suitable recycling collection space in building design programs.

Specify environmentally-friendly building materials, products and practices (such as loosening compacted soil around construction sites for drainage).

Evaluate options based on life cycle analysis.

Incorporate energy saving technologies into basic project specifications and into discussion with all new and retrofit developments.

Landscaping. Deciduous trees, planted on the west- and south-facing sides of your building, will shade windows, reducing solar gain and therefore air conditioning needs during the summer months.

Energy Management Systems. (EMS) conserve energy by adjusting operating hours and/or cycling equipment. EMS devices range from simple on/off time clocks controlling a single system, to sophisticated computerized controls that manage all the energy-consuming systems in a building. Single function EMS units can cost as little as $100, while complex systems can cost more that $100,000.

EMS cost savings vary according to the load being controlled. Typically, they can help reduce energy costs 10 to 30 percent, with payback periods usually less than two years.

Time-of-Day Scheduling EMS System:

This type of system uses electro-mechanical time clocks, to control various functions according to time schedules. Ideally, these systems take into account, holidays, weekends, daylight savings time, planned maintenance and have an override feature.

They usually control: Interior and exterior lighting, Security lighting, Space heating systems, Air conditioning, Ventilation and exhaust fans, Thermostat setbacks and setforwards

Temperature/Time Optimization: These systems provide for the control of multiple functions and more sophisticated control of temperature setback/setforward. Inside and outside air temperature are monitored and used accordingly to vary the time of startup or setback of heating and/or air conditioning. These systems achieve additional savings by using the least amount of energy to produce comfortable conditions during occupancy. Depending on the complexity of the system, an economizer cycle can also be incorporated. By controlling air dampers, this cycle brings outside air into the cooling system whenever possible.