The purpose of this study was to establish more precisely what factors determine energy use in schools, to evaluate the efficiency of and necessity for these, and to make recommendations for the reduction of energy use. These recommendations will be applied to the design of specific projects that will be built, monitored, and evaluated. This report covers the pre-design research phase. Data sources for the study include New York City schools, five suburban school systems in the New York City region, and 31 electrically heated schools in the northeastern U.S. The report concludes that with recommended new standards in lighting, ventilation, and building design and with utilization of solar energy schools can be designed to operate with no educational penalty at a savings of from 25 to 50 percent of the monitored New York City level. (Author/MLF)