energy saving
Energy use in school buildings accounts for 37% of the schools greenhouse gas footprint. In some older school buildings there can be significant savings made through various low-cost and no-cost energy saving measures such as placing radiator reflectors behind radiators, draft proofing windows and doors, installing individual thermostats on radiators or automatic lighting controls.
In many instances investing in cavity wall and loft insulation can reduce energy costs and emissions by up to 20%
However, the greatest impact can come from students themselves acting as energy monitors, or eco-champions, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through changes in behaviour across the whole school.
1. Get expert and specific advice on energy saving within your school – this may be free. Schools with energy bills above £50,000 pa. are entitled to a free energy survey from the Carbon Trust.
2. Find Funding. It is difficult to find funding for energy saving measures compared with the installation of low-carbon energy sources (see next section). However, the lottery funded Community Sustainable Energy Programme does allow funding applications for energy saving and there are interest free loans for energy-saving measures through Salix and the Carbon Trust.
3. Aim to involve the whole school community in saving energy. Creating eco-champions for each tutor group (to follow) and introducing suitable incentives and rewards can have an enormous impact on energy awareness. This is a key element of the CO2 Challenge and can quickly help to develop a strong culture of energy-saving within the whole school. Also introducing energy awareness and training for site managers, caretakers, ICT technicians and the bursar can help to improve day to day management of energy and waste.
4. Display your successes. Smart Meters or displays can help promote and encourage energy saving and awareness and allow site mangers and bursars to monitor and improve energy use across the school. There are a number of commercial products that provide either web-based energy monitoring (e.g. www.nowatt.co.uk and www.diykyoto.co.uk) or stand-alone monitors linked to green energy generation (e.g www.energiplc.co.uk )
5. Its not just heating and lighting. The Sustainable Development Commission estimate that 42% of greenhouse gas emissions from schools comes from procurement and 17% from transport and travel. Reducing emissions in schools is much more than monitoring heating and lighting (see sections on Procurement and Transport).
1. Carbon Trust Checklist for Walk-Round Energy Survey walk
2. Easy2begreen Green Card for School Eco-Councils or Green Champions and Easy2begreen Energy Saving Posters
3. Direct.gov information on energy saving
4. A visually interesting American site encouraging children to stop making excuses for wasting energy - useful poster ideas and summary of ‘lost excuses’
5. A comprehensive toolbox of information, with specific guidance provided for school managers, bursars etc
1. Act on CO2 - www.actonco2.direct.gov.uk
2. The Carbon Trust - www.carbontrust.co.uk
3. The Energy Saving Trust - http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
4. www.facingthefuture.org - An American website that has curriculum resources for all aspects of climate change and sustainability including energy saving
5. British Gas Generation Green site - http://www.generationgreen.co.uk - providing information and incentives for energy saving