Energy-Efficient Solution Helps Keep School Warm

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

  • Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • CSU Pueblo Installs Solar-Powered Charging Benches

    Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) recently announced that it has installed four solar-powered charging benches from Bluebolt Outdoor, LLC, according to a news release.

  • Delta State University Completes Renovations to School of Nursing Facilities

    Delta State University recently completed a major expansion and renovation project for the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing facilities on its campus in Cleveland, Miss., according to a news release. The project includes about 14,000 square feet of new construction and more than 21,000 square feet of renovation work to the existing space.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Expansion of Student Housing Studio

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group recently announced that it has hired Nick Naeger, AIA, as the new Associate Principal / Senior Project Manager at its headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., according to a news release.

Digital Edition