Education Business

In recent months, the threat presented by climate change to the world's people, resources and economies has become increasingly clear. Climate change is now one of the most urgent political, social and environmental issues currently faced by the UK, and the need for businesses, public sector organisations and consumers to take action to cut their carbon emissions has never been more pressing.
    
The good news is that we have managed to move the debate beyond the science and the impact of human action to focus on how we develop timely and appropriately scaled responses to limit the damage. It’s vital that all organisations - regardless of size or sector - rise to the challenge, and take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

Passing on the wisdom
Schools and FE colleges have a particularly important role to play in the fight against climate change. As well as cutting carbon across their own operations, they are also uniquely positioned to demonstrate good carbon management practice to their students – equipping the next generation with the skills and know-how needed to tackle this issue head on.
    
The Carbon Trust, an independent company set up by government to accelerate the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy, estimates that UK schools could be missing out on their share of £20 million of cost effective savings and a potential CO2 emission saving of 300,000 tonnes, due to poor energy efficiency. To tackle this, the Carbon Trust provides schools with a range of services that will help them to cut their carbon footprint and save thousands of pounds that could be better spent on resources for staff and students, such as computers, books and sports equipment.
    
Earlier this year, the Carbon Trust launched a free package of energy saving guides suited to the needs of the education sector. The energy saving guides provide practical advice to help reduce the four million tonnes of CO2 emitted each year by schools in the UK – a figure almost equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the whole of Sheffield.
    
Schools that want to take action to cut carbon and reduce energy bills can also benefit from free tips and support from the Carbon Trust via its Advice Line (0800 085 2005). Recommendations range from simple changes, such as turning off lighting and heating when not required or introducing student awareness projects, through to installing energy saving equipment, including timers and insulation.  

Identifying opportunities
Schools and FE colleges with energy bills of more than £50,000 a year on a single site can also apply for a carbon survey to identify energy saving and carbon reduction opportunities. The Carbon Trust recently worked with King Alfred School, an independent school with almost 600 pupils and about 125 staff, to help it identify where it could make energy cuts. Over the last ten years, the school had put a number of energy saving measures in place: thermal insulation has been upgraded, double-glazing fitted, and condensing boilers installed, but still had an annual energy bill of £65,000.  
    
The Carbon Trust carbon survey identified aggregated savings representing a 13 per cent reduction in energy consumption and a 14 per cent reduction in costs equating to over £9,000 per annum. Implemented, these would save 16.5 tonnes of carbon – approximately 13 per cent of the school’s emissions.                 

Recommendations included a range of low and no cost options, from turning off IT equipment when not in use to ensuring the timers on the school’s 17 boilers were correctly set. However, the greatest savings were possible from simply raising student and staff awareness of how they use energy, and establishing simple energy policies.

The heart of the community
Schools and FE colleges lie at the heart of the community meaning they can influence behaviour and have a vital role in leading by example when it comes to carbon management. Organisations in this sector have huge potential to squeeze out the carbon as well as cutting the costs from their budgets.
    
Recognising the risks, but also embracing the opportunities of climate change, will enable the education sector to reap environmental and economic rewards, and ensure they play their role in the move towards a low carbon economy. We would urge these organisations to contact the Carbon Trust for assistance in achieving this aim.  

Top Tips

• Team work: Appoint an energy team, including teachers, caretakers, pupils and governors so the school works together to ensure that problems are effectively reported and managed – in turn ensuring that the maximum energy saving can be achieved.
• Swimming pools: With swimming pool halls consuming more energy per unit than almost any other building type, be extra vigilant when managing pools. An insulated pool cover can save as much as 10-30 per cent of the total pool energy. 
• Catering: In some kitchens, as little as 40 per cent of the energy consumed is used for the preparation and storage of food with the rest being transferred into space as heat. Invest in pan sensors on hobs to ensure that, when a pan is removed, the hob will automatically reduce in heat.
• Take a tea break: Remind both staff and pupils how much energy they might be wasting. For example, a photocopier left on standby overnight wastes enough energy to make 30 cups of tea. For more facts like this, download the set of new posters.
• Engage with the local authority: Schools looking to make a strategic impact should engage with their local authority for further energy efficiency support.
  

For more information
To download A Whole School Approach (CTV037), Swimming Pools (CTG009), Food preparation and catering (CTV035) and the energy saving posters (PFL310, PFL306, PFL307, PFL309, PFL308, PFL311, PFL312) please visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/publications.