More proof that LEED is not going away. Not only are people building to LEED standards, educational institutions are embracing green building. This article appeared on ed+c.
Sustainable building designs include rooftop wind turbines, motion-sensor lighting and low-flow water fixtures.
Ecotech Institute, a college focused entirely on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design, announced that it received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“This is one of the highest honors anyone can receive in green building and design and we are thrilled to receive gold-status recognition for the numerous design elements we’ve incorporated into Ecotech,” said Tom Moore, President of Education Corporation of America, the parent company of Ecotech Institute. “We want to make sure we’re truly walking the talk for our students, so we took great care in how we designed Ecotech.”
The U.S. Green Building Council awarded Ecotech points for its sustainable design and energy efficiency, giving Ecotech the second highest LEED certification. Examples of Ecotech’s sustainable design include:
Renewable Energy
All together the renewable energy sources at Ecotech will generate more than 65,000-kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Since Ecotech’s current facility opened in January, the school has produced more than 18,000 KWh of clean renewable energy.
- Ecotech has 12 rooftop solar panels with a system capacity of 2.8 kilowatts.
- Eight small wind turbines are mounted on the roof to generate up to 4.8 kilowatts of electricity.
Energy Savings
A key component of the campus is its rigorous energy savings.
- Energy-fficient lighting reduces energy consumption by 30 percent below standard lighting energy levels.
- A measurement and verification system provides real time monitoring of the campus power, natural gas and water consumption. This information is displayed in the lobby for visitors and is also recorded and used to determine further energy saving possibilities.
Water Aspects
Improvements to the Ecotech building reduced average water use by 30 percent.
- Low-flow fixtures helped reduce water use from 1.6 gallons per flush to 1.28 gallons per flush for toilets. Low-flow fixtures also cut water use from 1.0 gallon per flush to 1/8 gallon per flush for urinals.
- Sensors on lavatory faucets also cut water use. While a faucet uses 0.5 gallon per minute, sensor-operated faucets cut that to 0.25 gallon per cycle in some lavatories.
Lighting
Lighting is one of the primary uses for energy in buildings today. Some of the methods Ecotech uses to limit the amount of energy used by lighting include:
- Motion sensors and a programmed schedule to limit lighting in unoccupied rooms.
- Classroom and office lighting have step-dimming options so that fixtures have multiple light levels — further increasing energy savings when lights are dimmed.
Other Resource Savings
The campus includes four electric car-charging stations, capable of delivering a full charge to a vehicle in two to four hours.
Ecotech’s LEED gold certified building opened for classes in January 2011. Currently about 250 students are taking classes at Ecotech and the first graduating class will receive their diplomas in July 2012. Ecotech Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, offers seven highly practical degree programs and one certificate program that provide graduates with skills valued by today’s alternative renewable energy employers. To learn more about Ecotech Institute, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com.
