School of the Future App

School of the Future Information Tool

This tool provides decision makers and technical staff of public authorities with a wide range of useful information for the energy-efficient renovation of school buildings.

- Case studies presenting successful energy retrofitting solutions for educational buildings
- Explanatory notes relating to renovation measures
- National benchmarks for the comparison of characteristic consumption values (available for Denmark, Italy, Norway, Germany)
- Indoor comfort parameters for classrooms

Besides providing purely informative parts (case studies and retrofi tting measures) the tool also comprises interactive resources, which enable the user to compare self-measured characteristic values to mean values and requirements.

Case studies

More than 40 retrofitted educational buildings (mainly schools) are presented; each project is described in detail according to a given common structure. This matrix includes general data, the climate of the location, the building typology, the building‘s condition before retrofi tting, the retrofi tting concept, the energy consumption measured after retrofitting, evaluations by users, investment costs, experience made so far and reports for further reading.
The featured projects are part of the 'School of the Future' project, of the EU project 'BRITA in PuBs' (Bringing Retrofi t Innovation to Application in Public Buildings) and of Annex 36 'Retrofi tting in Educational Buildings', conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in the sector of 'Energy Conservation in Buildings and Communities'.

Renovation measures

Information is given on renovation measures of the building envelope, the heating system, the ventilation system, solar shading devices and lighting installations, further on the use of renewables and on non-technological measures. This includes information about individual technologies as well as innovations in the relevant area. The technology screening results supplement the explanations and illustrate the volume of possible energy savings along with the cost efficiency of the measures.

Comparison of consuption values

The interactive tool enables the user to enter (annually or monthly) measured data on the heating energy consumption (space heating and water heating), on the consumption of electricity (ventilation, lighting and equipment) and on the water consumption of a specifi ed school, which may then be compared to national benchmarks. Bar diagrams point out whether the user‘s ‚own‘ school uses more or less energy than other schools or compare the energy use to the mean value.

Indoor comfort in the classroom

This feature allows comparing measured indoor-air temperatures and characteristic values of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels with the national requirements and acceptable ranges. The relevant measured data can be determined by a working group, for instance. In a graphical representation, the tool will then compare the data to the comfort requirements.