Maximizing facility performance, and thereby students’ potential, was at the heart of the ASHRAE High Performance K-12 School Facilities conference held Mar. 1-2 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The conference presented an integrated approach to complying with codes and standards while achieving a cost effective high performance solution to K-12 facility design, construction, and operation. Its goal is to bring together administrators, design professionals, policy makers, and other stakeholders to learn about the many ways to improve these facilities on operational, fiscal, engineering, and administrative levels.

“Sixteen percent of schools districts’ controllable costs are spent on energy,” says Ben Leppard, a member of the conference steering committee. “By focusing on energy efficiency and high-performance goals, a school’s energy bills can be lowered, saving millions of dollars each year.”

Attendees of the conference attended sessions that focused on three key areas of high-performance school facilities: ventilation systems, building systems control, and acoustics.