One of the best ways to determine whether a school is using energy efficiently is to compare its performance to that of similar buildings—a process known as benchmarking. However, school districts rarely have the time, the data, or the expertise to do that kind of analysis.

Analyzing energy consumption information from 39 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 5 high schools, researchers have developed a system for presenting energy-use data to facility managers, enabling them to make their own evaluations. This easy benchmarking process created through public interest energy research (PIER) can be applied to any school district facility. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the system in cooperation with the West Contra Costa Unified School District and Pacific Gas and Electric Co.