Index of information on this page
National Framework for Sustainable Schools Recommendation ~
Energy & Water
By 2020 we recommend that all schools are models of energy
efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation, showcasing
opportunities such as wind, solar and biomass energy, insulation,
rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling to everyone who uses
the school.
Contacts in Northumberland
Peter McArdle
Energy Manager
Tel: 01670 622317
email: Peter.Mcardle@northumberland.gov.uk
Jill Collinson
Capital
Projects Officer – Carbon Management
Tel: 01670 622271
email: Jill.Collinson@northumberland.gov.uk
Jill is fund manager for the County Council's Invest to Save
fund. If you have an energy saving project in mind, discuss it with
her to see if it can be supported.
School Success ~ Newminster Middle School (25 March
2011)
Well done to Newminster Middle School Climate Crew who have just
been awarded their gre
en
flag. The crew are pictured here with Ian Lavery MP for
Wansbeck.
Newminster is one of just a handful of schools in Northumberland
who have been awarded the flag so far. Many more we know are in the
pipeline so please let us know your successes.
Other School Successes (25 March 2011)
Well done to Corbridge Middle school and Shaftoe Trust First
School who have both been awarded Big Lottery funding towards new
Biomass boilers. The boilers will use wood chip from nearby Kielder
Forest, allowing them to disconnect their ageing Oil Boilers.
SEE the Future ~ Sustain Environment Educate (15 March
2011)
This is an environmental and sustainable education service for
schools and community groups. The service aims to provide a
range of activities for schools:
How would you meet our energy demands and reduce carbon
emissions by 2050? (3 March 2011)
- Build 50 new nuclear power stations?
- Build 20,000 onshore wind turbines?
- Reduce average home temperatures by 1.5 degrees celsius through
smarter heating?
- Convert all cars to electric power?
- Put external wall insulation on every home?
A new online simulation going live today (3rd March 2011) will
give you the chance to take the big decisions about the nation’s
energy future. Whether you want to build more nuclear power
stations, move everyone to electric cars, or put solar panels on
every roof, the choice is yours as long as you can hit the 2050
target to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent while keeping the
lights on. Launched today in London, Energy and Climate
Change Secretary Chris Huhne said:
"There’s no silver bullet solution to the UK’s energy
future. This project is all about getting to grips with the hard
choices and trade-offs which need to be made, choices which will
affect our homes, communities and the way we travel. We can’t
afford to leave it till tomorrow - so get involved today."
Please click here to view the
Department for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) website and
further information regarding the reduction of carbon emissions by
2050.
Green Day Update - Free Green Day Teacher Training (March
2011)
To help plan your Green Day, CABE are are running various free
half-day training events around the country at the end of
March. Each half day workshop will help you deliver lessons
with a focus on climate change. The workshops are also
designed to help you make well informed changes in your
school.
Details regarding your nearest training session are shown
below:
Newcastle ~ Thursday 24 March 2011 (1pm - 4pm)
Newcastle Springfield Centre, Blakelaw Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE5 3HU
For further information or to book your place, please email -
newcastlegreendaytraining@cabe.org.uk.
Places are limited and given on a first come first served basis, so
book early!
If you find it difficult to get out of school then don't worry, you
needn't miss out. You can access CABE's online
training materials on their website.
For more
information on Green Day, please click here.
Sustainable Schools Working Group (Wednesday 9 February
2011)
Just a reminder that the Northumberland Sustainable Schools
Working Group's next meeting will be on Wednesday
9 February 2011 at Horton Grange Primary School, Cowpen
Road, Blyth at 4pm. Existing and new members
welcome.
The agenda will include:
- Climate Week (21 - 27 March
2011).
- Solar PV Roll Out to all suitable schools in the County via
NAREC (progress with project)
- How do we offer incentives to caretakers to reduce energy
consumption? (discussion of some results)
- Progress with improving energy information from ERIC.
- Update of SALIX projects in the pipeline.
Zero Carbon Project ~ Haydon Bridge High School (February
2011)
Haydon Bridge High School took possession of
their fabulous new Eco-centre on 31st January 2011. The building
will house the land based and Environmental diploma students from
the school who carry 
out work on the school farm and will monitor the
energy load of the building and whole school as part of a 5-year
project for the Department of Education. The project which was
initially instigated by a group of pupils at the school who had an
assignment to design an energy efficient building to replace their
old farm classrooms, was built in collaboration with GB Building
Solutions and Cumbrian based Envirohomes.
Please click here for further
information regarding Envirohomes.
The triple glazed, highly insulated centre houses a lab,
classroom and chicken incubation area w
ith
adjacent polytunnel and greenhouse. It has Solar PV, Solar Thermal,
Air Source Heat and by Spring a 6kw Wind turbine attached to make
it Carbon negative (ie an Exporter of energy). Possibly the first
such building in Northumberland.
The Existing school building has not been ignored. It now has a
newly insulated roof and double glazing to the top floor. The
lighting has been upgraded to energy efficient luminaries and the
school are now planning cavity wall insulation to many areas. The
reduction in energy use this project will achieve will help the
school become more sustainable and fit them well to the challenges
faced by schools as budgets are tightened.
Northumberland is one of 12 counties nationally to take part in
the DCSF Zero Carbon Task force project to reduce energy in
schools.
For further information regarding hte Zero Carbon Exemplar Project
at Haydon Bridge, please click here.
Energy Newsletter (Summer 2010)
Please
click here to view the Energy Newsletter for Summer
2010.
Offer of Solar PV to Schools on Long Term Lease
Please click
here to read a warning regarding the dangers of signing up for long
term leases on Solar PV with commercial companies.
Closure of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (effective 24 May
2010)
The Government have announced that it is committed to delivering
£6bn of departmental spending cuts in 2010/11. The Department
of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) is contributing £85m to this
total. The sum reflects the fact that DECC operates with
relatively small admin costs but still delivers against a big and
challenging agenda. As from
Monday 24 May 2010, the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) will
close to all new applications ~ for further information please
click here.
Behavioural Change – What can be Done to Reduce Bills?
Newminster Middle School in Morpeth has
successfully demonstrated that energy savings can be made by any
typical school with very little expenditure.
Installing Smart Meters in Northumberland Schools
What is
it?
Smartmeter is Npower’s new automated meter reading solution. It is
designed to give you regular, accurate energy consumption data to
help you manage your energy more efficiently. Throughout the Spring
Npower will visit every school in Northumberland to attempt to
install a Smart Meter. The technology works using mobile phone
signals so some sites may not be suitable if the signal is
weak.
How does it work?
Npower will install smartmeter at non half-hourly school
sites to record your electricity consumption data at regular
intervals. The data is retrieved by Npower via a
communications link.
How will it help make my business more energy
efficient?
Through smart meter, you will have better and more detailed
information at your fingertips to help you take control of your
energy usage. It will reduce time, effort and costs spent on
administration. Only an annual meter inspection is required so no
more site visits to arrange for meter readings, and routine
estimated bills will become a thing of the past.
Energy cost budgeting will become easier. With
a greater understanding of what you're using, you can allocate
funds with confidence.
Non-half hourly sites with a smart meter may
also benefit under the
Carbon Reduction Commitment from financial incentives to
recognise pro-active organisations that install automatic metering
above and beyond the legal minimum.
For more information, contact
Peter McArdle – Energy Manager on 01670 622317.
Free Energy meters for Schools
In November 2009 Ed Balls – Secretary of state
for Children, Schools and Families announced that the government
would invest £12 million in new ‘smart’ meters to give schools
real-time digital information about their electricity use thereby
helping children learn about climate change, carbon reduction while
at the same time helping schools with financial management.
Click here
to obtain a smart meter for your school.
Useful Website Links
This section provides useful links relating to
the Energy & Water doorway (please click on the links
below).
(links to follow shortly)
Local Case Studies
This section provides information regarding
projects at Northumberland schools relating to the Energy &
Water doorway. Please click on the links below for further
information.
Whitfield First School ~ A
Zero Carbon School (February 2011)
