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Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is continuously exploring advancements of sustainable design, educational technologies, and high-performance building practices for incorporation in school design and construction. In 2010, the School Board adopted the High Performance Design and Construction for Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact Policy (6410) implementing sustainable practices in environmental quality, water and energy consumption, products, materials, and waste management in new facilities and school renovation projects.

As a part of this policy, LCPS participates in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Program, and for all new school project designs, LCPS Construction Services seeks to have these designs achieve the EPA’s “Designed to earn the ENERGY STAR” certification.

LCPS schools achieve “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR”

Designing new school building projects to achieve the ENERGY STAR aids LCPS with saving on energy costs and reducing the environmental impact. Each building design must be evaluated using the EPA Target Finder tool for new construction, and an application must then be submitted to the EPA for consideration. A score of (75) or higher is required to be eligible for the ENERGY STAR certification. This score means the constructed building is intended to perform among the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide, and meets the prescribed EPA performance levels for comfort, lighting, and indoor air quality.

The LCPS school designs to date that have earned this certification are listed below along with their respective Design Score.  

See our perfect score! Hovatter Elementary School

For a nationwide list of buildings that are recognized by the EPA and expected to perform in the top 25 percent when compared to similar buildings, visit:

Operational Performance of Buildings to achieve “ENERGY STAR Label”

After a building has been occupied and operating for one year, the same EPA rating system may be utilized to evaluate the actual energy usage of a building, provide an objective comparison of the actual operating energy use to the original design goal, and allow the building to achieve the EPA “ENERGY STAR Label”.

ENERGY STAR Label certification is given on an annual basis, and the information submitted in the certification application must be verified by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA) to be eligible for approval. To retain the annual ENERGY STAR Label status, a building must maintain its high-performance year to year. Like design certification process, the ENERGY STAR Label building operation must achieve an EPA rating of 75 or higher, meaning they represent the top 25 percent most efficient buildings of their kind when compared to existing buildings.

For additional information about LCPS efforts on efficient and effective oversight of public resources and energy usage, visit the LCPS Energy and Environment webpage. For a list of the certified LCPS buildings and the years they have been recognized by the EPA as having performed in the top 25 percent when compared to similar buildings, visit the LCPS Energy and Environment webpage, ENERGY STAR Buildings.