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An independent mixed day school with almost 600 pupils, King Alfred School has an annual energy bill of £65,000.
King Alfred School is an independent, mixed sex day school with almost 600 pupils between the ages of 4 and 18 and about 125 teaching, administrative and other staff. It was originally established in 1897, and now occupies two sites on either side of North End Road in Golders Green, North London. A new CDT centre is also currently under construction.
The school has already put some energy saving measures in place. Over the last ten years thermal insulation has been upgraded, double-glazing fitted and condensing boilers installed, and the construction of all new buildings has exceeded the Building Regulation requirements over this period. Pupils also have a project looking at the possibilities of installing photovoltaics and wind turbines to help the school generate its own ‘green’ electricity.
Keen to investigate further opportunities to reduce energy consumption and save money on bills, King Alfred School requested a free Carbon Trust energy survey. At the time of the survey, the school’s annual energy consumption was 1,705 MWh, emitting 122 tonnes of carbon, and the energy bill was around £65,000 a year.
The 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, 13.5 per cent of the school’s emissions.
The Carbon Trust survey 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 raising people’s awareness of the consequences of their actions and how they use energy.
Zah Rasul, Estates Manager for King Alfred School, said: “The survey is enormously important and very useful. Until now there has been little co-ordination of energy management. I will be taking the findings of the Carbon Trust Survey to the school’s Grounds & Buildings committee with a view to implementing the suggestions for improved energy management”.
Dr Garry Felgate, Director of Delivery and External Relations at the Carbon Trust, urges other organisations to take advantage of the great opportunities offered by Carbon Trust surveys. “Becoming energy efficient brings both short-term and long-term benefits to all types of organisations with proven impact on the bottom-line. It’s also good for the environment as energy efficiency is the most effective way that organisations can help cut carbon emissions.”
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