FORT TOTTEN, N.D. — Fort Totten Public Schools is planning to build the first net-zero energy consumption school on tribal land in the country. A net-zero school is an energy-efficient building that produces more energy than it consumes every year.
Located on the Spirit Lake Reservation, the school will be the first on tribal land and the first in North Dakota. Scheduled for completion in the 2017-2018 school year, the facility will feature classrooms, lab space for six teachers, bathrooms, storage areas and offices.
Features contributing to the school’s net-zero status will include solar panels, a ground-source geothermal heating and cooling system, high-efficiency water-to-air heat pumps, energy recovery system for free heating and cooling, variable-speed fans and pumps to minimize excess energy use, occupancy sensors for demand-based lighting, LED lighting, solar tubes for free lighting, specially insulated walls and roofs, and triple pan windows.
Construction is slated to begin this month, and the school will be located adjacent to the Four Winds Community School. DSGW is the architect for the project, Obermiller Nelson Engineering is providing mechanical and electrical engineering, and Shingobee Builders is the construction manager.