Becoming more environmentally sustainable is becoming increasingly important from a financial perspective as well as the right thing to do
Mark Stevenson, Director at Bright Spark Energy
School budgets are on everyone’s minds. The recent energy price rises by the big six energy companies, up 12% in the last 18 months is adding to these concerns. With budgets being squeezed, the pressure to find solutions that can help schools mitigate rising costs grows.
Small, proactive changes in energy usage can actually be a great way for schools to save money, while larger investments can be a vital part of a longer-term sustainability strategy. Here I explore some important environmental changes, big and small, that schools can look at implementing, including how they would work within schools and the benefits that they bring.
Starting the journey
The first steps in becoming more sustainable is to understand how your schools are using energy now. Using a minimum of 12 months of bills will identify when energy usage is high and what to focus on. Some of the Schools we are working with have used this data in science and geography lessons, mapping the school data against temperature and weather trends.
We see buildings as a type of eco system that many take for granted. For example, when leaving the school on a winters evening, how many PCs are left on or lights have not been turned off do you walk past? How many schools have no heating controls resulting in classrooms with radiators on and windows open?
Once we have an idea about how energy is used the next step is to create an energy vision with a set of targets and get all involved, from the pupil in Reception class to the Chair of Governors. Setting some tangible targets will enable all to celebrate success or learn from failure.
The smaller changes
Small changes in energy usage made every day by everybody in the classroom can quickly add up and significantly reduce energy usage and make the biggest impact. For example, if teachers turn off the lights, PCs and projectors in their classroom between lessons and at the end of the day, this can save up to 10% on electricity bills alone. This small action can be turned into an activity for your pupils. Pupils could be assigned the role of ‘Energy Champions’ who have the responsibility to turn the lights off when classrooms are not used.
Another option is to get pupils to monitor the learning environment including heat and light as part of a lesson, enabling children to learn about science, finances and responsibility while also saving the school money! The old myth of turning down the temperature in the classrooms a few degrees will save a lot over a long winter.
