The purpose of the Northeast-CHPS Operations and Maintenance Guide is to provide guidance to school districts on developing and maintaining procedures that ensure the continued operation of school facilities in a manner consistent with the goals of Northeast-CHPS. High performance schools provide high-quality learning environments, conserve natural resources, consume less energy, are easier to maintain, and provide an enhanced community resource. However, they will only continue to perform at these levels if proper operational and maintenance procedures are followed.
Although this guide is a companion piece to the Northeast-CHPS Protocol, its usefulness is not limited to schools built or renovated to a high performance standard. Most of the practices discussed in this guide, adopted where appropriate, will assist in improving the operational environment of any school facility, regardless of age.
The Guide contains O&M procedures that will help schools reduce their operating costs, as well as lead to healthier indoor air, improved student and staff comfort, reduced water consumption, improved environmental stewardship, and overall improvements in the learning environment.
O&M procedures targeted at energy efficiency can save 5 to 20 % on a school‘s energy bills.
These savings can total up to hundreds of thousands dollars annually, and many can be achieved at no to little cost.
This Guide was developed with input from and at the request of local stakeholders, ranging from facilities managers to efficiency program administrators. The Northeast High Performance
Schools Exchange intends to update this guide periodically as new O&M strategies become available. We encourage continuous feedback from practitioners to ensure that the Guide is a useful and comprehensive tool for Northeast school districts.