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Riverwood Elementary School, Johnston County Schools
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Riverwood Elementary School has installed many technologies in order to dramatically improve the energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of its facilities.
Address:
108 Athletic Club Blvd.
Clayton, NC 27520
Johnston County
Click here for detailed contact information
Public elementary school for 675 students.
- Owner: Johnston County
- Occupant: Johnston County Schools
- Use/Occupancy: Educational
- Construction: New
- Completed: 1999
- Size: 25K to 100K sq. ft.
Over 10 acres
Site Conditions: Suburban residential, Suburban commercial/industrial, Rural agricultural, Supports use of bicycles, Supports pedestrian use
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Riverwood Elementary School
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| (Photo: Johnston County Schools) |
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Project Image Gallery
(Click on the thumbnail photo to enlarge and see caption.)
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Green building techniques, strategies, and technologies
(Click on the paperclip to view attached Power Point presentations, documents, and images.)
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Quality management
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Water
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Technology |
Description |
Docs |
| 1 |
High efficiency irrigation |
Riverwood Elementary School installed an irrigation system for its ball fields. In addition, the system is metered, assisted by time controls, and uses rain sensors to guard against over watering. |
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| 2 |
Low-flow fixtures |
Riverwood Elementary School installed metering faucets from Moen (www.moen.com). A good explanation of how metering faucets work is found at www.powerscontrols.com/PDF/Prods/BMF. Johnston County Schools has installed metering faucets throughout the whole school system. |
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Water efficient appliances |
Riverwood Elementary School installed metering faucets from Moen (www.moen.com). A good explanation of how metering faucets work is found at www.powerscontrols.com/PDF/Prods/BMF. Johnston County Schools has installed metering faucets throughout the whole school system. |
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Water quality grease traps |
Riverwood Elementary School installed grease traps for its kitchen. A grease trap is most commonly a two-chambered tank positioned along the wastewater drainpipe. Wastewater slows down as it moves through the compartments of the trap, allowing time for less dense material to separate and rise to the liquid surface. Liquid and solid grease, as well as light waste particles, are held in the trap while the wastewater below passes out. Johnston County Schools monitors the grease traps by taking and analyzing samples monthly. Mitchell Concrete installed all of Johnston County Schools’ grease traps. |
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Energy
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Technology |
Description |
Docs |
| 1 |
Load management software |
In 1992, Johnston County Schools connected some of its facilities to a central Energy Management System (EMS) provided and installed by Invensys Building Systems. A lot of the energy savings and reduction in “down time” that have been attributed to the Johnston County Facilities Department would not have been possible without the central control and analysis that is provided by its EMS. The EMS allows the facilities department to, at the stroke of a few keys, review the energy consumption of any room in any facility within the Johnston County Schools system. Moreover, the system allows the controller to make any adjustments in the AC settings, electric air dampers, or other devices that, if unattended, can run kilowatt usage up unnecessarily. Another entity that reflects well on Johnston County Schools is the amount of repair work that is avoided due to the system’s ability to catch and fix problems in their infancy or even preemptively. For more information, see www. invensysibs.com. |
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Energy efficient appliances |
Riverwood Elementary School uses on-demand water heating systems in its kitchen and laundry room. On-demand tankless hot water heaters differ from their tank-type cousins in that they have no stored hot water. Tankless water heaters heat the water using gas and only heat water that is actually used, reducing energy use that would otherwise be wasted on keeping an entire tank of water hot. |
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On-demand water heating |
Riverwood Elementary School uses on-demand water heating systems in its kitchen and laundry room. On-demand tankless hot water heaters differ from their tank-type cousins in that they have no stored hot water. Tankless water heaters heat the water using gas and only heat water that is actually used, reducing energy use that would otherwise be wasted on keeping an entire tank of water hot. |
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Ice storage |
Riverwood Elementary School uses 6 Calmac Ice Storage tanks to supplement its two 90-ton Trane air-cooled Series R screw chillers that reduce the KW load during the peak electricity demand hours from 10 AM to 2 PM. Without the ice system, cooling would require two 125-ton chillers to condition the school. At $80,000 more in capital cost than a conventional chiller unit, the ice storage system offers a projected savings for Riverwood Elementary School of $14,460 per year. This would translate to a pay-back period of around 5.5 years for the difference in the purchased capital. |
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HVAC controls staff training |
In the experience of Johnston County Schools, the cost of training has often been included in the specs for new construction. Primarily, the training is for every HVAC technician, ten in Johnston County’s case. Though a lot of the training is provided by the vendors, effectively for free, Johnston County Schools Facilities Department usually spends about $1,000 on training for its employees to ensure that the quality of employee knowledge remains high. |
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HVAC controls management plan |
Each school has a start/stop schedule, duty cycling, and trending of all points capability. A system for extra scheduling for events is utilized. The central controls at Facility Services monitors alarms, set points, and operations daily. |
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Continuous metering |
Riverwood Elementary School uses a number of metering schedules to keep a close eye on all of its activities. Water quality grease traps are moniotred monthly, electricity use is managed constantly with a centralized Energy Management System, and all other utilities are monitored weekly by reviewing bills and trending the data. |
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Highly efficient lighting system |
Riverwood Elementary School installed a T-8 lighting system. The T-8 fluorescent lamps reportedly outperform the standard T-12 lamps. According to BC Hydro, they produce more light per watt of energy input - 89 lumens per watt, compared with 79 for 40-watt for T-12 lamps. With the T-8 system, Riverwood Elementary School has also employed high frequency electronic ballasts, which eliminate the lamp flicker and hum associated with magnetic ballasts. |
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Indoor environment
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Technology |
Description |
Docs |
| 1 |
Controlled ventilation for fresh air |
Riverwood Elementary School uses electronic air dampers that are controlled by a centralized Energy Management System. The central facilities department can close dampers and shut off outside air to prevent conditioned air loss when a buldindg is unoccupied. For instance, Riverwood Elementary School can shut the dampers in the morning in order to cool or heat the building more efficiently before students arrive and open the dampers for fresh air when they leave. |
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Good housekeeping protocols |
Riverwood Elementary School does “Sparkle Inspections” quarterly. The purpose of the inspections is to ensure no combustible items are being stored in small spaces, to check any under-used spaces like closets, and to review the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) requirements. Asbestos levels are also checked along with general cleanliness. |
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Individual HVAC controls |
Classrooms are served by individual air handlers that have thumbwheel controls. The classrooms are given a range from 68 degrees to 76 degrees F, with cooling setpoints at 70 to 76 degrees and heating setpoints at 68 to 72 degrees. The air handlers typically receive chilled water at temperatures ranging from 38 degrees F to 42 degrees F, depending on outdoor temperatures. All of the air handlers are on a four-pipe system. Riverwood Elementary School fan coils are set in the reheat position to control for humidity. |
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Temperature/humidity monitoring |
Classrooms are served by individual air handlers that have thumbwheel controls. The classrooms are given a range from 68 degrees to 76 degrees F, with cooling setpoints at 70 to 76 degrees and heating setpoints at 68 to 72 degrees. The air handlers typically receive chilled water at temperatures ranging from 38 degrees F to 42 degrees F, depending on outdoor temperatures. All of the air handlers are on a four-pipe system. Riverwood Elementary School fan coils are set in the reheat position to control for humidity. |
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Contact Information
| Specialty Contact Information |
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Click on the specialty technology in the table above to see contact and other information |
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| General Project Contact |
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Bill Gilbert
Johnston County Schools
Phone: 919-934-2021
Email: bgilbert@johnston.k12.nc.us
Relationship to the project: Director of Energy Management, Johnston County Schools
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| Project Team |
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Involvement |
Stage |
Name/Address |
Phone |
| 1 |
Owner/developer |
N/A
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Johnston County Schools
205 N. Front St.
Smithfield,
NC
27577
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919-934-2021 |
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Architect |
Design/Construction
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Jimmy Hite/Hite Associates
Greenville,
NC
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919-252-757-0333 |
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Contractor - general |
Construction
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Skansa/Debeers
Raleigh,
NC
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HVAC consultant |
Design/Construction
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Trane
8120 Brownleigh Drive
Raleigh,
NC
27615
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919-781-0458 |
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