In consultation with our design consultants, we reviewed multiple heating system options for the building. As a result, the project will utilize natural gas to provide heating and hot water. Concept‑level energy analysis showed that high‑efficiency condensing boilers and electrical resistance heating have similar annual energy use, with natural gas providing approximately a 10% operating cost advantage. A geothermal water‑source heat pump system was also evaluated and demonstrated an 18% energy savings and 11% energy cost savings compared to the baseline; however, it would require approximately 50,000 square feet of site area and an additional $1–2 million in capital cost. Due to limited available site space and the need to maintain school operations during construction, the geothermal option was determined to be infeasible.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not currently planned to be estimated over the lifespan of the building; however a preliminary concept level energy model was created to inform which building systems would be most energy efficient while weighing other factors such as capital costs and impact to the site and adjacent areas. We could provide estimated annual energy use GHG emissions based on the energy model and recent emissions factors for the region’s utility fuel mix; however, the future emissions projections are extremely speculative due to the competing forces of AI/datacenter expansion, state and federal regulations/tariffs/incentives, as well as market forces, so we do not feel it is within our ability to project accurately.