Photo courtesy Kevin R. Carson

With the Ontario government's new $550-million investment, publicly funded schools like Toronto's Lakeshore Collegiate Institute can implement various sustainable technologies.

A variety of sustainable technologies and practices will provide a better learning environment for more than 1000 publicly funded schools in Ontario. The provincial government's recent announcement of a $550-million, two-year investment to increase schools' energy efficiency will create over 5500 jobs, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reduce long-term energy costs for budget-constrained school boards.

An approximate breakdown of the investment and project examples is as follows:
• $300 million for energy-efficient HVAC and high efficiency windows, roofs, and boilers;
• $150 million for reconfiguring existing student space and replacing old, inefficient portables; and
• $100 million for energy audits, energy management systems, 'smart' thermostats, and light occupancy sensors.

School design typically lends itself well to renewable energy technologies. For example, large, flat rooftops can host solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) systems while athletic fields are suitable for installing geothermal systems for heating and cooling. In addition to these systems, small-scale wind projects will be introduced to generate electricity for school use.

Implementing these technologies will enable school boards to offset future operating costs such as electricity and natural gas. Additionally, boards can sell electricity to the grid through feed-in tariffs, which are part of the recently passed Green Energy Act.

The government is expected to create a centralized procurement process to help the province's 72 school boards research technologies and choose vendors, while maximizing the benefit of large-volume purchasing power. Boards should start receiving funding next spring.