Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Energy-Efficient Solution Helps Keep School Warm

  • 09/01/15
Energy-Efficient Solution Helps Keep School Warm

Mitsubishi Electric helped give Hollis Montessori both energy efficiency and a great teaching tool for its students.

The Hollis Montessori School (Hollis Montessori), Hollis, N.H., is the first independent school in the country to receive Passive House certification. This certification denotes the school’s extreme energy efficiency and means the facility has met rigorous energy-saving standards. Students have been particularly interested in the equipment on the walls that keeps their classrooms comfortable and their school compliant with Passive House standards. That equipment is part of a Hyper-Heating INVERTER™ (H2i®) system from Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Cooling & Heating Division (Mitsubishi Electric).

Mitsubishi Electric was selected as the brand of choice because “the availability of hyper- heating was really important given the rough northeast winters. We also like the track record of performance and reliability with Mitsubishi [Electric], and their extensive service network relative to other manufacturers,” says Jordan Goldman, principal of ZeroEnergy Design (who led the Passive House consultation). Frank Grossman, president, board of directors at Hollis Montessori adds, “Mitsubishi [Electric] also wouldn’t need backup heat.”

Installation “went very smoothly,” says Grossman. Outdoor units were put on stands to maintain efficiency during New Hampshire’s snowy winters. Indoor units were mounted to the wall of each 1,400-square-foot classroom to “simplify the distribution without sacrificing any thermal comfort at all,” said Goldman.

Grossman explains that the school “also added sub-panels throughout the building where students can find out what energy their classroom is using compared to other classrooms.”

Students occasionally ask for the data, which they can see on tablets. It makes them both excited and curious. They try to figure out why one classroom is using more energy than another. The upper elementary kids also do units on energy and are educated about the heat pump system.

www.mitsubishipro.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.