The Financial Case for Net-Zero Schools

New evidence gleaned from districts across the country has an important message to heed: Building and renovating schools to achieve net-zero energy is the affordable option.

Every year, our country spends $114 billion constructing, modernizing, operating, and maintaining our school buildings and grounds. Spending these dollars well matters to our young people and our finances.

Net-zero schools are highly energy-efficient and produce enough renewable energy to meet their own energy needs. Net-zero schools combine smart design, new technologies, and reduced reliance on fossil fuels to reduce initial and on-going costs.

And in fact, districts that fail to employ the technologies and design strategies that enable net-zero buildings may spend 20-25% more over a 30-year period.

Our primer, The Financial Case for Net-Zero Schools, lays out the evidence and the key concepts.

Translating this evidence into new building standards for school construction and modernization can help us save money, reduce energy use, and lower carbon emissions. And policy makers have an opportunity and responsibility to ensure our most historically underserved communities benefit from these new standards and technologies.

This brief is a collaborative effort with the Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC). This labor-led organization is advocating for carbon-free and healthy schools in states like Rhode Island, where legislators are considering a $300M statewide school construction bond. CJNRC campaigns across the country will use this brief to engage state and local decision makers on why net-zero makes good financial sense.