Climate ChangeGreenovate

SAVING BIG (ENERGY) AT THE ELIOT UPPER SCHOOL REMODEL

By October 21, 2019 No Comments

The City of Boston is investing in our future by creating state-of-the-art schools that also move us closer to a carbon free Boston.

This summer, Mayor Walsh was joined by Boston Public Schools and other city officials to break ground on a $20 million renovation project of the John Eliot K-8 Innovation Upper School in the North End neighborhood of Boston. This project is part of Mayor Walsh’s Imagine Boston Capital Plan, which supports the BuildBPS initiative. The renovation project for the Eliot Upper School, that serves 280 students in grades 3-8, is set for completion in the Fall 2019. Updates will include state-of-the-art spaces designed to promote collaborative learning, as well as an art studio and robotics-engineering lab overlooking the Charles River.

Why is this important to the Climate Action Plan?

The Eliot Upper School remodel is an innovative project that received incentives and rebates to increase energy efficiency throughout the building. Massachusetts utilities Eversource and National Grid developed the Whole Building Approach to promote high efficiency design for new construction and major renovations. The Whole Building Approach requires the project design team to target at minimum a 15% energy reduction below the base energy code, and design teams can select a holistic bundle of energy conservation measures to reach this goal. The Eliot Upper School blew that target away with an estimated 34% aggregate energy savings below code requirements, and is expected to save $28,000 per year above the already required base energy code. That savings translates into reduced GHG emissions by nearly 80 tons annually — which is equivalent to taking nearly 17 cars off the road for one year.

Large buildings in Boston play an important part in our Climate Action Plan, making up nearly 50% of Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions. This presents an opportunity to achieve significant emissions reduction by engaging businesses and institutions in programs such as the Whole Building Approach.