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CHPS Year of the Manufacturer Presents
In 2015, CHPS will be highlighting the critical role of products in helping to create healthy, high performance educational environments in a series of articles. This first installment features CHPS New Member Big Ass Solutions' fan products; how they reduce energy use and costs while improving indoor environmental quality.
Big Ass Solutions
By Rachel Tsvetanov
Fan Science 101
Fans give HVAC systems a break and improve air movement in schools. Relying only on a thermostat to regulate campus environments is difficult in both summer and winter-HVAC systems read the temperature around a thermostat, ignoring hot and cold pockets in a building. In summer, installing fans adds air movement, mixing hot air at ceiling level with cooler air at ground level. This air movement makes occupants feel up to 10 degrees cooler, allowing for higher thermostat setpoints without sacrificing comfort. In the winter, fans push down warm air trapped at the ceiling so heaters run less often, saving schools up to 30% on energy costs without making occupants stock up on sweaters.
What Can Big Ass Solutions Do for CHPS Schools?
Our fans and lights help reduce energy costs and create more sustainable and more comfortable schools. Research shows student attendance and performance improve when schools go green.* Whether pursuing CHPS or LEED, or just looking to reduce HVAC costs-Big Ass Solutions works to customize a solution for your building and your budget.
Case Study: Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
Looking to go green, California's OUSD needed to move air while meeting strict energy requirements for their new CHPS Verified buildings. The administration's goal was to eliminate all air conditioning from classrooms. OUSD looked to fans in classrooms, which had to work without disrupting students or ruffling papers while still conforming to specific criteria for air velocity and dimensions.
Engineers at Big Ass Solutions created a mock classroom at the company's R&D Lab to study the problem, and developed a custom solution for the project. The highly efficient fans distribute naturally cooled air to keep students and staff comfortable while maintaining the school's impressive green credentials.
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*Earthman, Glen, "School Facility Conditions and Student Academic Achievement," William Watch Series: Investigating the Claims of Williams v State of California, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2002
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Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) Conference
CHPS staff and board members are presenting at three sessions at the 36th Annual CASH Conference February 23-25, 2015 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Please stop by and listen or just say hello!
Monday, February 23, 2:15 - 3:45 pm: CHPS Executive Director Bill Orr is on the panel presenting "15 Years of CHPS: History, Experience and Lessons". This workshop looks at two elementary schools completed in the CHPS pilot program in California 10-15 years ago, framing the effectiveness of the design intent compared to the lifelong maintenance and operations of the campuses.
Wednesday, February 25, 9:00 - 10:30 am: CHPS Board Member Rob Samish of Lionakis will be leading a session on "Green Convergence - California Codes and CHPS Latest". Since July 1, 2014, the landscape in California has changed now that the new Title 24 Energy Code rules coupled with the CALGreen Code are mandates not options. Using real-life examples from school districts, this workshop will address the questions that are coming up: What is new that impacts my projects? How much more will it cost? What are the demands on staff after construction? Where do the mandates end and the CHPS high performance standards start?
Wednesday, February 25, 10:45am - 12:15 pm: CHPS Technical Programs Manager Stephany Mason will be presenting in the "Healthier Schools by Design: A Toxic-Free Future" session. Attendees will learn about designing toxins out of schools: how to identify chemicals and materials of concern and the various health effects of materials, the regulatory and industry initiatives underway to effect change and how to leverage your role as a consumer, community member, leader, or designer, and understand the pros and cons of toxic-free design and materials from a maintenance and operations perspective.
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TX-CHPS Criteria Update Underway
The process of updating the TX-CHPS Criteria to be consistent with the new CHPS National Core Criteria is underway. Led by Roy Sprague of the CypressFairbanks Independent School District and Scott Harrison of TXU Energy, the TX-CHPS Advisory Committee has been meeting regularly to ensure that Texas priorities and incentives are represented in the
new criteria expected to be released the summer of 2015.
If you are interested in becoming involved with this process or simply learning more, please contact Stephany Mason at smason@chps.net or 4159579888 x104.
Additionally, we are happy to announce and pleased to recognize three companies sponsoring the 2015 TXCHPS Criteria at the Maverick Level. The design community has been instrumental since the inception of TX-CHPS and represents leaders in the rapidly expanding high performance schools market in Texas.
These initial Maverick Sponsors are:
There are numerous benefits and value to becoming a TX-CHPS sponsor. As a sponsor, your organization will be recognized in the 2015 TX-CHPS Criteria helping ensure Texas schools have access to appropriate tools and resources to build facilities that enhance student performance, increase a sense of community, reduce environmental impact and lower
operating expenses.
TX-CHPS Sponsorship is sure to be an important part of your outreach and marketing plan for this year! To get a copy of the Sponsorship Prospectus and/or additional information on sponsorship levels and benefits, contact Kimberly Cox at kcox@chps.net or 4159579888 x105.
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Washington State School Facility Stakeholders: Draft 2015 Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WA-CHPS) Available for Stakeholder Comments
In Washington, statefunded school building projects greater than 5,000 square feet are required by chapter 39.35 RCW to comply with high performance, green building requirements. School districts can use one of two green building protocols, either the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP/WA-CHPS) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The overwhelming majority of our K-12 projects use WSSP/WA-CHPS.
WSSP/WA-CHPS was originally written in 2006, and updated in 2010. The WSSP Update Committee, a subcommittee of the School Facilities and Organization Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), has updated the 2010 version. The changes include:
- Aligning the protocol with Washington's current energy and building code
- Acknowledging the latest advances in building design, including construction
- Adding additional optional credit choices
- Differentiating compliance requirements for new school facilities, new buildings on materials and methods for healthy schools an existing facility, and a modernization
The Draft WSSP/WA-CHPS 2015 and a comment template are posted to the High-
Performance School Buildings Program webpage on the OSPI website.
All interested stakeholders are invited to review the draft update. To comment, you may use the comment template or simply send an email identifying the area of the protocol your comments pertain to and your suggested changes or concerns. The comment period is open through March 6, 2015. Please send comments to HPSBP@k12.wa.us.
WSSP/WA-CHPS 2015 is scheduled for release in April 2015. The new version is applicable to state funded projects receiving D4 approval after July 1, 2015.
For questions, please contact Nancy Johns, Coordinator, School Facilities and Organization, 360725-4973; or nancy.johns@k12.wa.us.
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CHPS in the News
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Healthy Building Science Presents
EMF in Schools, CHPS Takes a Stand
For many years CHPS has been a leader in identifying sustainable and healthy building trends for school buildings. Long before LEED for Schools, there was the Collaborative for High Performance Schools Criteria and scorecard. This Rating System has been tested and proven effective, and just recently has taken a stand to reduce EMF in schools.
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2014 CA-CHPS is underway!
Newly registered projects under the updated criteria include:
Central Commissary at Foster Elementary - Oakland USD (Cody Anderson Wasney Architects)
Horace Mann Elementary - Beverly Hills USD (3QC, Inc.)
Stege Elementary - West Contra Costa USD (Powell & Partners, Architects)
Natomas Charter School / Star Academy - Natomas USD (Williams + Paddon Architects)
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ENERGY STAR Green Your Blueprint Challenge
An opportunity for architectures firms to be rewarded for designing energy efficient buildings. Winners and projects will be honored at the 2015 AIA National Convention in Atlanta, GA.
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Interested in serving on the CHPS Board of Directors?
The Board of Directors is CHPS's governing body and is charged with the responsibility and authority for policy direction of CHPS. Anticipated vacancies for the upcoming fiscal year ending 2016 are:- Governmental
- Educational
- Design Professional
- At-Large**
- Utility
Learn more about the expectations and responsibilities of serving on the CHPS Board of Directors by visiting our website.
**at-large Director shall represent the diversity of any CHPS membership category except manufacturers
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Big Ass Solutions
Their quirky name originated with massive overhead fans that brought comfort and energy savings. Today, Big Ass Solutions is fans, lights and our unique approach - quality, design and working directly with customers to solve problems. Whether pursuing CHPS or LEED, or just looking to reduce HVAC costs-Big Ass Solutions works to customize a solution for your building and your budget
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SBWV Architects
SBWV Architects was organized in 1994 and has extensive experience in the programming and design of Pre-K - 12 schools, private schools, community college, university buildings, athletic facilities, and other types of support facilities. We have completed 5 schools using the TX-CHPS designed criteria and are proud to be on the TX-CHPS Partner Advisory Committee.
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