Top: Aerial featuring the geothermal field and roof-top photovoltaic systems. (Image provided by CMTA, a Legence company)
Bottom: Outdoor classroom in the courtyard and main entrance.
Manchester Public Schools anticipates receiving a $2.5 million tax credit for the geothermal and photovoltaic systems installed in 2023 at Bowers Elementary School. The second of three schools in the District, the 1950s Bowers Elementary School, received a comprehensive renovation to transform it into a 21st-century learning environment and meet Net Zero energy requirements.
Mechanical Engineer and Vice President Jess Farber of CMTA, a Legence company, was a panelist at the White House’s first Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds Summit on April 26, 2024. CMTA is the mechanical, energy, and lighting engineer working with TSKP STUDIO on all the Manchester Public School net zero projects. Topics discussed at the White House Summit included air quality, decarbonization, transportation, school infrastructure, energy efficiency, and healthy school environments. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America provides federal funds for schools to create healthy learning environments. One federally funded program is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Screen capture from White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds on April 26, 2024.
“By authorizing direct pay, the Inflation Reduction Act, for the first time, makes tax-exempt entities, including schools, eligible to access clean energy tax credits and to fully participate in building and owning new clean energy projects. Schools can leverage these tax credits for clean energy investments such as solar, wind, geothermal, and storage, and for purchasing clean school buses and other clean vehicles.”
Manchester’s Bowers Elementary School is slated to receive a $2.5 million tax credit utilizing the IRA program. Other schools mentioned in the fact sheet include Seattle Public Schools (WA) and Williamsfield Schools (IL).
Left: Buckley Elementary School students learning in a renovated 21st century classroom with views of the solar flower.
Right: Students at Buckley Elementary School use the energy dashboard displaying real-time data.
Project Links:
TSKP Case Study: Bowers Elementary School (Net Zero) - Manchester, CT
CMTA Case Study: https://www.cmta.com/results/briefs/bowers-elementary
TSKP Case Study: Buckley Elementary School (Net Zero) - Manchester, CT
CMTA Case Study: https://www.cmta.com/results/briefs/buckley-elementary
White House Links:
Watch the Summit: https://www.energy.gov/scep/slsc/events/white-house-summit-sustainable-and-healthy-k-12-school-buildings-and-grounds
Read More Like This:
NET ZERO: First Verified Net Zero Public School in New England - Buckley Elementary School
GROUNDBREAKING: Net Zero Energy Keeney Elementary School - Manchester, CT
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