Cooling classrooms entails more than air conditioning

Question: I support the plan for classroom air conditioning, but $100 million for 1,000 classrooms suggests it will cost $100,000 for each classroom. That sounds a bit excessive. Why does it cost so much?

Answer: Besides the cost of air-conditioning units, ceiling fans, roof coatings or whatever other methods are deemed best for a particular school, the estimated bill includes the cost of major structural upgrades necessary at some aging campuses before heat-abatement systems can be installed.

At some schools this includes rewiring electrical systems and installing new doors and windows so that the school can carry an increased energy load and air-conditioned classrooms will be airtight, said a Department of Education spokeswoman.

The estimated price is based in part on the actual cost of recent air-conditioning projects and includes both design and construction costs. For example, bids in 2010 to retrofit Pohakea Elementary School in Ewa Beach with air conditioning ran up to $4.3 million, or about $110,000 a classroom, according to the DOE.

However, the department is piloting newer technology, such as photovoltaic air conditioning, that it hopes will lower costs and allow it to surpass the 1,000-classroom goal in Gov. David Ige’s $100 million campus-cooling initiative, which the state Legislature funded in the budget it passed Tuesday.

“We will be using technologies that ensure energy efficiency and stability,” said Donalyn Dela Cruz, the DOE’s communications director, who noted that “the majority of our schools have electrical systems that are decades old and not designed to support today’s high level of energy demand,” by computers, broadband networks and other technology, let alone air conditioning.

Using a full spectrum of heat-abatement measures, including PV/AC, solar lighting, increased insulation, ceiling fans, roof coating and roof ventilation, the goal is to have classrooms that run air conditioning when necessary but can open windows and let in the fresh (free) air when the weather is cool enough.

As of April 27, according to the DOE:

>> The top 32 schools on the DOE’s Heat Abatement Priority List have been assessed. Initial recommendations call for solar-powered air conditioning on all portable classrooms and heat-abatement measures including PV/AC and split-system air conditioning on permanent buildings.

>> Maintenance teams are working weekends to cool portable classrooms, which tend to be the hottest. So far, 375 portable classrooms have been covered with heat-reflective material, and ceiling fans were installed in 139 classrooms.

>> Portable air-conditioning units have been installed in 109 classrooms in 12 Oahu schools and ​eight neighbor island schools.

>> Electrical upgrades are underway at seven schools.

Q: I know something has to be done about the sweltering classrooms, but where are we getting the money for this?

A: The state’s General Fund, specifically $100 million of the $170 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements deposited there. Lawmakers preferred that funding source over the governor’s plan to borrow $100 million in Green Energy Market Securitization funds, which would have had to be paid back with interest. Plus, they didn’t want to raid a fund intended as a source of low-income loans for nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters adopting green-energy systems, according to previous news reports.

Mahalo

I will take the kindness and generosity that was shown to my 7-year-old granddaughter and me and try to pay it forward whenever I can. We were having breakfast at Cafe Lani at Ala Moana Center early Sunday morning when to our surprise our server told us our meal was paid for by a father and son who left and didn’t want to be identified. How nice! This led to a discussion with my granddaughter about life, values and just doing something nice for others. In return I had my granddaughter give an extra tip to our waiter. It was a beautiful day for all. We were blessed. – S.N.

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