Administrator resources for K-12 school HVAC investments
Improve your school’s indoor air quality
Every decision you make as a K-12 administrator shapes the future of your school. With Carrier, you’re not just investing in HVAC systems. You’re investing in healthier, more productive learning environments. Our energy-efficient HVAC solutions are designed to optimize school climate control, ensuring your students and staff thrive while your building operates at peak performance. Together, we’ll create a sustainable foundation for success.
Benefits of HVAC Solutions in Schools
The total value of HVAC investments is unique to each project and school but there are common occupant and operational value levers that can be considered when building a holistic value case. Compared to other potential investments, HVAC investments affect people as well as operations or infrastructure and those benefits can be difficult to quantify. However, there are proven examples of value generation that can help schools understand the total value of potential HVAC investments.
Occupant health refers to the physical, mental, emotional and social health of school occupants as well as feelings of well-being.
Reduced Airborne Disease Transmission Risk: Increased ventilation is one strategy to reduce the risk of transmission of airborne diseases, like COVID-19. Additional strategies are using MERV filters, portable air cleaners and other ventilation methods, which can reduce the risk of transmission. Solutions that provide “five air changes an hour reduces transmission risk by 50%.” [1]
Reduced Incidence Illness: Poor IAQ can cause infections, lung cancer and chronic diseases, like asthma, which affects ›7.5% of US population. [2,3]
Reduction in Symptoms: Poor IAQ, which is found in 30% of new and remodeled buildings, is thought to lead to sick building syndrome (SBS). [3,4] SBS is when occupants experience symptoms of sickness like eye and nose irritation, congestion, etc. associated with being in polluted indoor environments. [4]
- Let's Clear The Air On COVID | OSTP | The White House
- Indoor Air Pollutants & Health | American Lung Association
- Asthma Facts | AAFA.org
- Sick Building Syndrome: Testing, Treatment, & Prevention | Healthline.com
- Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health Professionals | US EPA
Attendance matters. By improving IAQ, Carrier helps reduce absenteeism, ensuring students and staff stay healthy and engaged. Schools with optimized air exchange rates have seen a 12% drop in sick days [1], directly impacting Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and securing vital funding. [2]
HVAC upgrades and replacements can lead to utilities savings, while improving indoor air quality. EnergyStar estimates that a 100,000 sq. ft. school can uncover $10,000-16,000 annual savings from HVAC system commissioning. [1] Simple improvements, like HVAC recommissioning, can lead to significant savings. For example, a Colorado district reported an annual energy savings of $54,000 from a recommissioning project. [2] Furthermore, lessening environmental impact through energy consumption reduction in schools is important. Green schools can “play a vital role in helping the [U.S.] reach its stated goal of net zero by 2050.” [3]
It is critical to keep schools open to avoid large education gaps, like the one resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] Improving indoor air quality can help schools stay open and healthier by reducing airborne disease transmission risk. [2,3] In addition, enhancing IAQ by regulating temperature through HVAC improvements can help avoid school closures as temperatures rise. Professor Paul Chinowisky of the University of Colorado Boulder reports his research suggests that “school districts cancel school for heat an estimated average of six or seven days per year—up from three or four days a decade ago.” [3]
Stay ahead of the curve. Carrier’s high-performance HVAC systems minimize health risks, ensure compliance with evolving standards and protect your school from costly liabilities. [1] With us, you’re not just meeting expectations—you’re exceeding them.
Smart investments pay off. Carrier’s predictive maintenance solutions, like BluEdge™, reduce operating costs by up to 55%. [1] By identifying issues early, we help you avoid downtime and keep your systems running smoothly. [2]
Overall, increases in employee productivity resulting from enhanced IAQ can lead to $6,500 in productivity benefits per person per year for businesses. A contributing reason for this is as indoor air improves, cognitive skill performance for knowledge workers can improve over 100% on average across strategy, crisis response and information usage skills. [1,2] Furthermore, when continuous monitoring or advanced controls are a part of HVAC investments that allow for automation, management by exception, or other efficiencies, staff productivity can be further improved.
Happy staff, stable schools. Carrier’s HVAC solutions improve working conditions, increasing teacher retention and job satisfaction. [1] By reducing turnover, you save on recruitment and training costs, ensuring a consistent, experienced workforce.
How Carrier supports school goals
At Carrier, we’re more than a provider – we’re your partner in creating healthier, safer and more sustainable schools. From cutting-edge HVAC systems to digital solutions and ongoing support, we tailor our expertise to meet the unique needs of your school.
Services
Assessments
Knowledge is power. Carrier’s IAQ and equipment assessments identify opportunities for improvement, ensuring your school operates at its best.
Energy Efficiency & Sustainability
Lead the way in sustainability. Through NORESCO, Carrier helps schools achieve their energy goals, from baseline assessments to targeted outcomes.
Equipment Commissioning
Start strong, stay strong. Carrier’s commissioning services ensure your HVAC systems perform reliably from day one.
Maintenance & Repair
Proactive care, peak performance. With BluEdge™, Carrier provides predictive maintenance and 24/7 support, minimizing downtime and maximizing system life.
Potential HVAC Investment Benefits that Increase Returns on Investment
HVAC investments are unique in their ability to deliver long-term occupant health and safety benefits along with building sustainability and operational benefits. HVAC investments can help schools or districts lower risk and optimize returns on investment through its potential effects on buildings and occupants.
Schools are currently under tight deadlines to spend their allocated ESSER funding, which can be used to invest in HVAC system upgrades or replacements in schools. Spending ESSER funds on HVAC can help schools spend before funds are lost to schools and allow schools to allocate other funding types to different projects. [1] In addition, HVAC investments now can help schools receive future funds if schools realize potential benefits of enhanced IAQ like improving average daily attendance (ADA). [2] ADA is used by states to determine funding across districts, higher ADA is correlated to more funding. [2]
Happy occupants, better outcomes. Carrier’s HVAC solutions enhance daily experiences for students, teachers and staff, fostering productivity, satisfaction and well-being.
Invest today, benefit tomorrow. Carrier’s HVAC systems deliver lasting value, ensuring a high return on investment for years to come.
HVAC Solution Considerations
Choosing the optimal HVAC investment is challenging. This is especially true if sources of funds are from ESSER, due to strict allocation and spending deadlines. To help guide school officials in the selection of HVAC investments and vendors, we recommend considering the following decision criteria to minimize investment risk while improving school learning environments.
Asset Life & Reliability: HVAC equipment lasts between 15 to 20 years typically. [1] Proper maintenance and operating practices can help extend asset life and prevent breakdowns.
Design for Service: HVAC solutions can vary based on difficulty to service equipment. Easy to service solutions may provide lesser long-term costs, compared to more complex solutions.
Warranty: Ensuring proper warranties for solutions may help lower long-term operating and service costs.
Ease of Installation: The time it takes to install solutions and the cost associated with installation can be significant. Complex installations could require school downtime.
Equipment Cost: Equipment costs include original equipment, replacements, upgrades and replacement costs. Equipment costs can often be the highest one-time cost. The shorter the payback period, the sooner investment returns surpass initial costs, indicating a stronger investment. For example, light commercial HVAC product payback in as low as 1 year, for energy efficiency projects. [1]
Commissioning Costs: Installation and commissioning costs are often also higher relative to other cost types and dependent on labor. Considering this cost upfront is recommended.
Training & Labor Costs: Training and labor costs enable ongoing maintenance and operations. When equipment is maintained properly, it can support performance optimization and product life. Understaffed schools for example, may need to make new HVAC trained hires, which could cost up to $50,000 per hire. [2]
Maintenance & Repair Costs: Ongoing costs are driven by maintenance and repair needs of equipment and are a critical part of total cost of ownership. Maintenance can include filter checks and replacement, preventative maintenance and recommissioning. Costs can vary based on school, with the average maintenance cost landing at $7300 based on ASHRAE’s figures from America’s schools. [3]
Product & Service Coverage: To streamline investments, oftentimes vendors who can provide multiple products and services as end-to-end solutions in a “one-stop shop” are preferred.
Expertise: Vendors who are stable with significant experience and credibility are often preferred by customers to reduce investment risk.
Scale/Geographic Coverage: Geographic coverage can impact solution selection based on incremental costs such as transportation costs, logistic needs, ongoing service call costs, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
School and district officials can influence HVAC investment project timelines to expedite execution by engaging early and often with HVAC vendors, prioritizing timeline during solution selection and choosing faster procurement options, like co-operative purchasing.
Project Planning & Early Vendor Engagement: It is important to work with HVAC vendors so schools can help to ensure they know about the latest product innovations available and realistic equipment lead times to use in project planning, and to be able to leverage the expertise of vendors like CARRIER® who have completed similar projects before. We recommend schools engage with potential HVAC vendors as early as possible and throughout the design and solution selection process.
Solution Selection: Not all HVAC or IAQ solutions are created equal. Depending on your school’s needs there may be multiple potential solutions, some of which may have shorter lead times like products that are standard compared to customized. HVAC vendors, like Carrier, can help schools choose the solution that is right for their needs, including funding or timeline constraints.
Co-operative Purchasing: Cooperatives purchasing groups, also known as Co-Ops, have pre-established vendors and district relationships that can expedite time to purchase equipment and services. In some cases, the bidding process can be skipped if pre-approved vendors are chosen and with relationships already established purchasing operations are streamlined. This is a great solution for schools who know what they need and want to purchase quickly. Carrier has invested in co-op relationships to better serve our customers.
Advising schools on faster installation is a sample of what Carrier can do to support your school’s HVAC, IAQ and related projects. To learn more about how Carrier can support you, please contact us.
Schools should reach out to HVAC vendors as early as possible during the HVAC capital decision process, starting with a school’s capital plan and continuing through to servicing and maintenance.
During capital planning, we recommend schools include HVAC vendors like Carrier, which can be done directly or through a third-party like a co-op, engineer or consulting firm. Schools can also engage with Carrier while servicing equipment, during maintenance activities, etc. as part of a capital decision. Schools can stay in touch with Carrier as a service provider after installations, for HVAC needs such as recommissions, etc.
There is a wide variety of Carrier IAQ solutions that can make tracking and reporting of KPIs easier to manage. Reporting is a critical capability as oftentimes it is required as a stipulation for receiving funding and because it allows schools to better track return on investment and continuously improve.
IAQ tracking and reporting can be continuous or at predesignated points in time. We recommend that schools utilize continuous monitoring solutions, which can be automated to minimize labor resources. Continuous monitoring also allows schools to take real-time actions to optimize learning environments when IAQ falls outside of desired ranges, supporting improved IAQ over time.
Continuous or point in time solutions include digital tools, assessments and monitoring devices. These solutions can be applied at the classroom, school or district level, which enables district-wide performance analysis to determine best practices, internal benchmarks and help schools reach equitable performance.
To make reporting easier, Carrier offers Abound, Carrier Certified Healthy Air Systems certification program, Automated Logic Controls, i-Vu® controls, indoor air quality monitors and more.
Schools have a few ways to purchase Carrier HVAC and IAQ solutions each with their own trade-offs including directly or indirectly through engineering groups of co-operatives (co-ops). In whatever route your school chooses to purchase equipment, Carrier can be a partner at every step to help meet school equipment and service.
Schools can purchase Carrier solutions most commonly, through the following routes:
Mechanical, Electrical, And Plumbing MEPs: Schools can work with MEPs to design and specify their needs which can then be shared with vendors like Carrier. Working with an MEP means schools receive an expert turnkey solution from purchase to installation. However, this end-to-end service can come at a higher cost compared to schools taking on more responsibilities independently.
Cooperatives (Co-Ops): Schools can contract from co-ops to support equipment purchases, depending on state policies. Co-ops represent a large customer base and have more buying power than individual schools. Purchasing through a co-op generally gives schools access to superior pricing and allows schools to avoid a request for proposal (RFP) process that can lengthen the time it takes to purchase equipment. This is because co-ops pre-approve select vendors and products in advance. However, schools are then responsible for finding additional providers to install, service and maintain equipment. Specific vendors, like Carrier, work well with co-ops and can offer turn-key installation solutions to simplify the process for schools.
Bidding Process: Schools can also put out a bid for a project to multiple vendors who can then choose to submit a proposal. The goal for schools is generally to compare at least two or three vendor vendors before deciding. This process is more comprehensive but does require more time than other purchasing options and does not always guarantee the lowest possible cost. An alternative approach is to choose a single trusted vendor upfront as a sole-sourced project.