In an effort to promote "green" jobs and to encourage energy savings in schools, universities and public buildings, the Washington legislature is considering HB 2334, which would send a $3 billion bond proposal to voters this fall.
Washington state already has experience with similar efforts to spend taxpayer money to improve the energy efficiency of schools. In 2005, the legislature passed the "High Performance Buildings" law requiring schools to purchase energy efficient equipment. That experience is instructive in the difficulty of spending taxpayer money wisely and achieving the predicted energy savings. Three things stand out from that experience:
- "Green" schools that incorporate many of the elements called for in this proposal have fallen far short of the projected energy savings.
- Recent studies and statements by those who work with the "green" schools in Washington state concur with previous findings: those buildings do not achieve the projected energy savings.
- Some advocates cite studies claiming to show that buildings that meet "green" building standards like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) save energy when compared to other new buildings; these studies, however, make no such claims and are being misused.
Experience indicates the expected savings will fall short of projections.
[But saving energy isn't the real objective.]
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