Checklist
Schools
Produced in association with ActionAid and Richard Dunne, Headteacher, Ashley Primary School
For schools, there are a set of simple measures you can take to get your 10% cut and save money in the process. Check out the list below, or click here to download a pdf to print out and stick up in your staff room as a reminder.
1. Create your energy team.
Make sure you have a committed, passionate team who will make it happen, and include staff, parents, governors and, most importantly, students.
2. Set your first meeting.
Agree at the meeting how you will carry out the energy monitoring and how often you will meet to feed back how you are getting on. It may be best to start with just one area to monitor. Put your meeting dates in the diary.
3. Start monitoring your energy consumption in your particular areas on a regular basis, ideally once a week.
Electricity is the easiest area to monitor as it should be relatively straightforward to check the meters and it is something everyone can have an impact on.
4. Analyse how much you consume over a set period.
Then agree what you want your school community to do that you think could help to reduce your consumption. For example, you may want everyone to consider not turning lights on in the first place, let alone turning them off.
5. Communicate your planning.
Agree with your Headteacher if s/he is not involved in this project when and where you can share your findings and the specific action you want the school to take to reduce energy.
6. Keep setting carbon challenges for your school community and make it fun.
Could you introduce special events such as Carbon Free Days when everyone tries to use as little energy as possible? Ask your school community for ideas.
7. Incentivise the process!
If you are saving energy, reducing your carbon emissions and really making a difference, what can you do to celebrate your success?
8. Research alternatives to what you currently use or do in school.
Look into lower energy appliances or renewable energy technologies that you think you could introduce into your school and then present your findings to the right people.
9. Apply for funding.
Once you know what you would like to do or install to improve your school’s efficiency, apply for funding from organisations such as utilities companies, the Low Carbon Building Programme or local businesses.
10. Sustain your practice.
You need to keep energy monitoring high profile so that it starts to become second nature for people to save energy. Put up posters, keep sharing energy data, and start engaging your wider school community in the challenge.
