The Nenana City School District, which serves students in rural and remote Alaskan communities, was long overdue for an update. 

The elementary school was built in the 50s, when asbestos was commonly used in building materials. Its boilers are from the 70s, and a computer program used to automate the HVAC system included pneumatic arms and a switchboard from the 80s. 

“It’s nuts,” Stephen Calkin, assistant principal and curriculum director, said. “We needed some serious updating, one for survival, and also, why not? It will increase our resiliency and reduce energy demand.”

The district first partnered with the New Buildings Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to improving energy performance in commercial buildings, to develop a health, efficiency, and resiliency plan.  The district then applied for an Energy CLASS Prize and received a $100,000 grant.

The U.S. Department of Energy awards the Energy CLASS Prize as part of the Renew America’s Schools program, which aims to improve energy management and create healthier learning environments for schools across the country. 

In Nenana, part of the prize went toward training and professional development. Another portion was used to update ventilation at the district’s dormitory-type housing for 9th-12th graders who live in remote villages without access to roads. The remaining funds supported HVAC pump and boiler upgrades, supplemented by an additional $50,000 grant.

“Coming off COVID and understanding more about indoor air quality, we decided to plop money into ventilation,” Calkin said. “And, we had serious mold issues in the boarding facility because of humidity. Our air doesn’t move around really well.”

Calkin estimates that once the district replaces its boilers, it will save about $10,000 annually — money that can be redirected toward student programs and classroom resources. And even though the new boilers use heating oil just like the old ones, they use it more efficiently, likely reducing heating oil by 3,000 gallons a year. He expects the students to feel the difference.

“When half the building is cold because a boiler is down, they’re aware,” Calkin said of the students. “When the zoning is improper in the boarding facility and one side is baking hot and one side is freezing cold, and things are breaking, they’re aware of it.”

In a rural district with little local industry and a limited tax base, improvements like these were a long time coming, and likely impossible without grant funding, Calkin said.

“We live in a hard place to live. The water is hard. The weather is inclement. It’s a tough place to be and when you have a facility that isn’t very resilient, efficiency is the last thing on your mind. We’re constantly trying to throw duct tape on parts that are ancient,” Calkin said, noting Alaskans’ common embrace of being intrepid and independent in landscapes that require resilience.

Calkin said Nenana’s list of needed improvements is long. He’s researching a solar array’s potential and he’s working to connect the district to a new biomass plant. Replacing boilers, for Calkin, was a good stepping stone. 

“It might not be glamorous, replacing boilers or stovetops, but it certainly is helpful for us because every penny we save on electric bills we’re folding into increasing our resiliency and it increases our ability to serve our communities and provide basic needs for our students,” he said. “Eventually, it allows us to spend more money on our kids in the classroom.”