Published on:
21
June 2001
Fifteen schools in Clackmannanshire are doing their bit for the environment by cutting the production of carbon dioxide - saving an enormous 30 tonnes this year.
The amount of energy saved by the fifteen schools is the equivalent of the electricity produced in a year by an average primary school.
The schools efforts will be recognised at an awards ceremony organised by Clackmannanshire Council and Scottish Power. School Energy Awards will be presented to all schools who have shown a reduction in their general electricity consumption and special awards will be given to the top three schools that have shown the greatest commitment to saving energy.
You are invited to send a photographer to the presentation of the School Energy Awards on Monday 25 June 2001 at 12 noon. The awards will be held within Council chambers.
Clackmannan Primary and St Serf's Primary are the top two schools in the Wee County having consistently reduced electricity consumption for the past five years. Both schools have an excellent track record in reducing energy consumption. Fairfield Special School is also in line for a special award by recording the largest reduction in consumption - down 12% on the previous year.
Willie Alexander, Convenor of the Enterprise and Environment Committee, said: " The results of the scheme are fantastic, but what makes them so outstanding is the fact that it was primary school children that helped make the changes happen. It shows that there is an increasing interest in the importance of saving energy among school children and teachers and this will, without doubt, benefit the environment in the future."
Clackmannanshire Council is the only authority in Scotland that has had applications for energy saving schemes approved by the School Energy Programme since it was formed five years ago. And this year three schools - Abercromby, Alva and Clackmannan are taking part in projects to improve the efficiency of heating systems. These projects have attracted grants totalling £7,000 from the School Energy Programme. It is hoped that the new measures installed will result in annual savings in excess of £4,000.
Some of the innovative new measures are that reflective panels have been placed on the backs of radiators that will reflect heat back into the room and valves have been fitted on the central heating system so that rooms around the school can now be heated independently.
Ritchie Malcolm, Energy Officer, said: "We have focussed on general electricity for the awards because it is regarded as the most costly form of energy use in both financial and environmental terms. It is also the area of energy consumption within a building where the users have the greatest opportunity to minimise waste, by switching off lights and electrical equipment when not in use."