Dive Brief:

• The Internet of Things is increasingly helping schools and districts save money by regulating energy use.
• Ed Tech: Focus on K-12 cites California's Old Adobe Union School District and suburban Chicago's Consolidated School District 59 as examples where better infrastructure and smart systems are helping control HVAC and lighting.
• According to U.S. Department of Energy data, schools spend $8 billion each year on energy.

Dive Insight:

While the infrastructure and network upgrades to facilitate these changes can be expensive — Old Adobe Union's efforts were financed by a $20 million bond — efforts to move to smarter energy systems can offer big savings. On a similar note, for example, California's Poway Unified School District is expected to save $250,000 annually with its recent solar installation.

The benefits extend beyond the financial, though, as an automatically-regulating HVAC system can also create a more comfortable learning environment where students aren't too hot or too cold. Classrooms with more natural lighting, as well, have been shown to benefit learning, as well. A complete remodeling of classrooms might not be possible for all schools or districts, but tools that more effectively regulate the environmental conditions at the very least could seemingly bring notable achievement boosts on top of savings.