Community Energy Project
Categories: School Achievements School Events
Energy Consumption in schools is increasing at a rapid rate, and the bills are increasing even faster. The general assumption is that increased use of technology means that this is a pill we just have to swallow. At Swavesey Village College the staff and students are working in partnership with a local energy company ‘GEO Ltd’ to find out if this is really the case, and to reduce the college energy bills at the same time.The project also now includes the local community, thanks to a successful application for 'CUT YOUR CARBON' funding, which will allow over 360 families the chance to be involved in this project.
The school’s system has been designed to help Students, staff and parents to understand more about the school’s energy consumption. However it can be difficult to inspire students about saving energy so the displays are cool and ‘with-it’ and involve the use of the g-bug as an ideal visual way of identifying quickly how well the school is doing at saving energy. It is a fun and engaging way of learning about energy that can be sustained throughout the whole school year and be passed on to fellow Students. The School has set up energy monitors for each of its houses and the students have presented assemblies, produced on-line messages and worked hard to increase the understanding of the students about the amount of energy wasted when appliances are left switched on.
This is a challenge which the students have really been inspired by and they are working hard to switch off whenever they can, and reminding staff to do the same. Evidence so far shows that the electricity costs for the first 3 months of this year are over £2500 less than last year, providing a real incentive for the project to go from strength to strength.
This project has recently been expanded to engage the community as well and GEO Ltd have worked with Swavesey Village College and the community to successfully apply for the East of England Development Agency’s (EEDA’s) Cut your Carbon funding competition. Through this funding Swavesey have already been given the go ahead to start work on making their project a reality.
The community - made up of residents of Swavesey village, pupils and parents in the village college’s catchment area, teachers at the school, Swavesey Parish Council, Swavesey Women’s Institute and local businesses such as the pub, post office and newsagents – asked for £17,000 to use cutting edge heat and electricity monitors to ‘make energy visible’ to homeowners.
So sign up to take advantage of this project, become more involved in the community energy saving project and save yourself some money as well.