This report outlines the opportunity and benefits for schools to replace legacy HVAC systems with all-electric, high-performance systems that support healthier learning environments and deliver long-term economic and environmental benefits.
Voices from the field
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems: What Facilities Teams Need to Know
Written by Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, National Center on School Infrastructure, and New Buildings Institute,
Understanding the relationship between HVAC system design and maintenance
Whether a district is planning a new HVAC system or trying to keep an aging one intact, the same question comes up: how do choices made today affect what a facilities team has to manage tomorrow? A recent HVAC Change Lab “ask-the-expert” session brought together two perspectives on school heating and cooling systems to tackle that question. Corey Metzger, ASHRAE member and Principal of Resource Consulting Engineers, LLC covered system design and engineering trade-offs, while Ken Wertz, Executive Director for the National School Plant Management Association (NSPMA), focused on the operations and maintenance side.
Key Takeaways
- Match your system design and maintenance plan to the conditions in your district. A generic “best practice” may not be best practice for your district, and what works in one place, whether related to geology, climate, staffing, or budget, doesn’t transfer automatically to another.
- Weigh maintenance implications when selecting a system, then equip staff to follow through. System choices are inseparable from maintenance requirements, and facilities staff need to be brought into the installation process early and trained properly so they’re actually prepared to keep systems running.
- Communicate with the public about the life-cycle costs related to system choice and maintenance. School boards and communities need a better understanding of the full picture of both upfront and upkeep costs in order to support the budgetary requirements of HVAC modernization, operation, and maintenance.
Throughout the session, speakers and participants engaged in dialogue about HVAC system selection, ways that newer technologies are creating a need to shift design and budget considerations, and pathways for keeping current systems running reliably. The following are highlights from the discussion; taken together, they point to the importance of making sure that system design choices match your operational context.
HVAC system selection needs to match site conditions
Schools have a range of options for HVAC systems, and each involve trade-offs between upfront cost, efficiency, equipment life span, and ongoing maintenance demands. Districts should carefully weigh options against site and climate conditions, staff capacity, and budget constraints.
The emissions case for heat pumps
For districts with decarbonization goals, there’s a strong justification for considering heat pumps, provided that careful attention is paid to design and equipment selection. Heat pumps can cut emissions well below electric resistance heat and, at higher efficiency levels, below gas boilers too, but the size of the benefit depends on the heat pump’s efficiency and outdoor temperature.
Newer equipment changes design considerations
Older compressors tolerated voltage fluctuations of 6-10 volts without issue; newer variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and similar equipment is often restricted to a 2-4 volt operational range by the manufacturer. When utility power falls outside that tighter range, boards and compressors can burn out within the first two years, especially on first-generation units lacking adequate protective fail-safes. Districts should factor power quality and protective measures into design decisions up front.
Training gaps persist
Post-COVID, districts sped up the pace of changing filters but didn’t necessarily train staff on maintaining them correctly (e.g., ensuring proper filter type, spacers, checking dampers and solenoid valves, cleaning coils). Manufacturer-specified maintenance steps must be followed exactly, since skipping steps can void warranties and cause expensive failures — one cited example involved a $35,000 energy recovery wheel replacement caused by using the wrong filter.
Staffing and knowledge continuity matter
With frequent job turnover among facilities staff, institutional knowledge (e.g. on startup sequences, warm-up cycles, and valve locations) needs to be captured before it walks out the door with a departing technician. For new construction, having facilities staff shadow contractors during installation and commissioning is a useful approach for knowledge transfer.
In-house vs. outsourced maintenance requires a clear framework
For districts sorting out how to staff their maintenance needs, the path needs to correspond with capacity: use in-house staff if they’re already trained, train staff who have the capacity and willingness to learn, and outsource only when neither applies, as outsourcing comes with a high price tag.
Budget and capital planning implications deserve attention
Educating school boards and communities on what it actually takes to maintain a school building, and the consequences of underinvesting (such as unstable heating, poor air quality, or larger repair bills), is increasingly important to securing sustainable maintenance funding that supports a safe, healthy learning environment. Capital planning also needs to account for shorter equipment life cycles, faster technology obsolescence, and more expensive replacement parts than in the past.
The Change Lab is building practical, owner-focused tools that will help districts with HVAC system selection, budgeting, design, commissioning, and handoff. Read Early Findings from the HVAC Change Lab to learn more about what we’re developing and sign up for the Change Lab newsletter to get updates.
About the HVAC Change Lab
The HVAC Change Lab is a coordinated action network, co-led by the Center for Green Schools at USGBC, New Buildings Institute, and the National Center on School Infrastructure at UC Berkeley, that helps school districts plan, procure, and implement high-performance HVAC projects. Fourteen districts across eleven states are working through active projects together via coaching, peer connection, and access to a network of expert practitioners who have designed, installed, and maintained these systems in schools for decades. From this work, the Change Lab is developing tools and resources to help many more districts around the country implement HVAC system upgrades.