Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Center on School Infrastructure and New Buildings Institute have formed the HVAC Change Lab. The partnership aims to improve health, safety and academic success by upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in schools. The groups are partnering with school districts and industry experts to create a peer network and provide one-on-one coaching and technical assistance to make school HVAC systems cleaner and more efficient.
The program will pilot a support network for school districts, convening school facilities leaders, designers, health and climate experts and other partners. To start, it will work with 12-15 districts around the country.
Along with school district partners and the three managing nonprofits, the HVAC Change Lab will work with a national network of organizations that will offer critical, hands-on technical assistance and deep wells of experience in specific areas relating to clean air, facilities management and more.
School districts face persistent barriers to updating antiquated and inefficient systems, including limited staff capacity, fragmented access to technical guidance and funding opportunities and navigating financing options and delivery modes The HVAC Change Lab is designed to provide a coordinated network-based approach to support districts and help address the aforementioned barriers. The program will help school districts successfully plan and implement facilities upgrades through coordination, shared learning and practical, peer-to-peer support. It will also produce a field-tested library of resources and best practices for district leaders nationwide.
The HVAC Change Lab implementation will begin in March 2026 and continue through spring 2027.
