Menu

• Home
• What
• Introduction
• National
• International
• Why
• The Issues
• Global Warming
• Carbon Footprint
• How
• Purchasing and Waste
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle
• Energy
• Water
• Transport
• Us
• About The School
• What We Did
• Projectors
• Recycling
• Printers
• Lights
• Awareness
• Computers
• Communication
• Temperature Survey
• Summary
• Green Pledge
• Eco Schools
• Quick Links
• Useful Links
• Resources
• About Us
• Credits
• Full Site
• Aa++
• Aa--

Case Study

Loading...

EcoLearning

For education that sets an example

English Translation German Translation

Energy

If an average household wastes £37 a year just by leaving things on standby, think how much more a school could waste because of the same thing! Using energy efficiently and cutting down on the amount of energy wasted will not only cut fuel bills but also reduce CO₂ emissions, consequently helping to reduce global warming. In accordance with Government plans on reducing carbon emissions,

• By 2016 all new buildings built should be carbon neutral
• By 2020 schools should all be "sustainable schools"

In order to help meet EU regulations on redcutions in carbon emissions,

• Carbon emissions must be cut by 60% in any new schools built

There are 3 main areas within school where energy could probably be used more efficently:

• Heating
• Lighting
• Appliances
• Computers
• Televisions
• Projectors

Heating

Nearly half of the heat energy in a home is lost through the walls and roof, just think how much more that is in a school! There are many different ways of heating a school which can include some of the following...

• Storage heaters
• A storage heater is an appliance where heat is stored in clay bricks or another material with a high specific heat capacity.
• It uses electricity at off-peak times (usually during the night) which can reduce energy bills. The heat absorbed by the material is slowly radiated out during the day.
• Used properly they can be very cost effective, however they can require more thought and planning than central heating.
• Central heating
• Considerable amounts of heat can be lost because of central heating especially if only a few rooms need to be heated.
• Why not try encouraging site managers to buy thermostatic radiators if older ones need replacing. These can help the problem of heat loss as,
• They encourage efficient heat usage as the temperature of every room can be varied.
• This helps to reduce the number of heat spots around the school - to try helping this in our school we made a temperature map of the school.
• If the boiler breaks at your school (you'll get a day off!) but you'll also need a new one, buying an energy efficient boiler can make a huge difference on heating bills!
• By turning down the thermostat by just 1 degree Celcius could help to cut heating bills by around 10%
• Insulation
• As most heat is lost through the walls of a building installing cavity wall insulation will minimise the amount of heat lost.
• For the average home, cavity wall insulation will cost around £260 and could save up to £160 a year on fuel bills - just think how much more money that could save your school!
• Installing double glazing could cut heat loss through windows by up to half!
• Insulating the hot water tanks within the school can make them more energy efficient.

Lighting

• Energy efficient light bulbs
• These are becoming increasingly popular for lighting both homes and schools.
• They use around 80% less electricity than a normal bulb and produce the same amount of light.
• For nearly every sort of bulb there is likely to be an energy saving equivalent.
• This includes halogen tubes which are probably the main source of lighting within any school.
• If you're looking to change lights in your school to energy saving ones, always look for the Energy Saving Reccomended logo.
• This can only be used on the most energy efficient products and so will be on around the top 20% of those available.
• By switching to energy efficient light bulbs you not only save energy but you help to fight climate change!
• By switching off lights when there is nobody in the room you help to reduce wasted energy.
• With halogen tubes only switch them off if the room is not going to be used for at least 15 minutes as they take more energy to switch on than if they had been left on for a time period of less than 15 minutes.
• To try and encourage people to switch off lights at our school we designed a 'Please Switch Off Lights' sticker to place around the school, read more or find the design in the resources section of the site.

Appliances

The main appliances that are used around schools are computers, televisions and projectors which are used in pretty much any lesson you have. Leaving these appliances on when they aren't being used will waste a lote of energy.

[Image: Projector]
• Projectors
• Leaving a projector on unnecessarily leads to wasted energy and can also wear out the bulb which can lead to increased costs for the school as more projector bulbs will need replacing.
• Encourage teachers to shut down projectors when they aren't using them as this will help to save energy.
• You could use the notice we made to put onto projectors around our school to help you do this. The notice can be found in the resources section of the site.
• Computers
• Invariably students and teachers will leave computers on at the end of a lesson instead of shutting them down - this leads to unnecessary energy being used.
• Try and encourage people to shut down computers at the end of lessons.
• Or better still, encourage teachers to switch them off at the mains at the end of lessons.
• When buying new computers encourage the school to invest in LCD flat screen monitors rather than CRT monitors.
• These use less energy and are coming down in price as they are becoming more and more pouplar - so you'd save your school money in the long run too.
• Televisions
• If a television has been used in one of your lessons, remember: you can't switch things off with a remote! Make sure that it's turned off at the mains to stop it jus sitting on standby.
• When replacing older televisions try buying flat screens as these are more energy efficient than CRT televisions.

Renewable Energy

Many sources of energy which are commonly used such as electricity and gas are non-renewable energy sources. This means that eventually they will run out and we won't be able to carry on using them. Some schools and businessess are now beginning to use some renewable energy sources such as: Solar power and Wind turbines

• Solar Power
• There are two types of solar thermal systems - solar tubes and solar flat panels, which absorb heat from the sun and use this to heat water passed through them.
• These can be used for solar thermal hot water which can save an average household £40 a year on hot water bills which could consequently save a school much more.
• Solar photovoltaic systems use the sun's rays which pass across layers of silicon in the cell to produce electricity which can then be used around the house in day to day activities.


• Why not try getting a few solar panels put onto the roof of your school? They may be expensive to install but can save lots in the long term.
• Wind Turbines
• These can vary in size and power output from a few hundred Watts to 2 or 3 megawatts.
• For an urban loaction (e.g. a school) small, building-integrated turbines are best.
• The cost, and consequently the savings, for installation will vary dependant on the location and the size and type of system needed.
• They are dependant on the wind speed and direction throughout the year.