Sustainability at Ridgewood School

Administrators from Chicago’s Ridgewood High School expect lighting and infrastructure upgrades recently completed by Trane to reduce energy costs by 18 percent while significantly reducing noise levels from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, located 6 miles from the campus. The energy-saving infrastructure upgrades and lighting improvements also reflect the district’s commitment to sustainability.

The upgrades represent a major step in transforming the district’s facility into a high performance building – taking a whole-building approach to performance while creating spaces that are reliable, safe, healthy, comfortable and efficient.

Each building upgrade was planned to improve the academic environment as well as optimize resources. Trane improvements included the installation of double-pane windows and a multi-layer roof structure to reduce noise infiltration and conserve energy.

Two sections of vegetated roof were installed, built to a student’s design. Trane replaced all building lighting with highly efficient T5 or LED lighting, and upgraded all valves, faucets and flush mechanisms to low-flow versions. Bottle filling stations replaced water fountains to help reduce waste and use of plastics.

Trane also installed sunshades on south-facing exterior walls to reduce solar heat and glare in classrooms. Enhanced commissioning services ensure that all mechanical systems run at optimum levels.

The school is on track to receive silver-level certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and has adopted the Illinois Sustainable Schools compact. In recognition of the district’s commitment to energy, operational efficiency and sustainability, Trane presented the district with its Energy Efficiency Leader Award.