Case study detail
Children at Riverside School where heating costs has been reduced dramatically
Targeted carbon management in Calderdale schools
Contributed by:
Sustainable Development Commission
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Calderdale Council was selected to participate in the third phase of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management programme.
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Overview
In 2005, Calderdale Council was selected to participate in the third phase of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management programme. Through this process it was found that the largest proportion of carbon emissions arising from the Council’s activities (excluding procurement of goods and services) was from energy use (46.4 per cent), and that the highest energy users are schools (58 per cent of total energy use).
The current school energy bill is in excess of £2.1m and, in the light of this, the Council has recruited a Carbon Management Officer to work directly with schools to save money and reduce environmental impact. It is hoped that savings of greater than £200,000 per year will be possible to achieve through relatively simple measures such as heating system upgrades, modernisation of light fixtures, insulation and lagging, refurbishments and awareness-raising schemes.
The Officer is delivering training sessions for head teachers and premises managers across the authority’s 104 schools. They have engaged the Carbon Trust to perform energy surveys at five of Calderdale’s secondary schools, and joined forces with the Alternative Technology Centre in Hebden Bridge to deliver the SUSSED energy and water reduction project to primary schools in the area. The Eco-Schools scheme is promoted to schools as a means of reducing carbon emissions while also getting pupils and staff engaged in a whole-school approach. Energy projects such as biomass boilers are also being investigated and delivered via an inter-departmental approach within the authority.
The work contributes directly to the objectives of the Council’s Local Area Agreement 2007 – 2010, which covers six themes taken from the community strategy for the authority – the Calderdale Futures Plan 2006-2016. One of the themes is the Environment, which includes an outcome to “tackle climate change through reduced greenhouse gas emissions.” To deliver this outcome a target has been set to “achieve enhanced carbon emissions reductions from the Council’s operational buildings, fleets, street lighting and schools.” If the target is attained, the Council will be rewarded with a significant sum of money that will enable further measures to be implemented in schools.
Key features
consumption
education
energy
local government
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