Water and energy management in schools

Water management in schools

Is your school water efficient? A water efficient primary school uses between 3-9 litres a student a day A water efficient secondary school uses between 9-12 litres a student a day

How much does water cost? water costs $2.01 a kilolitre Schools also pay for waste water. Sydney Water has info sheets on how to read water bills and undertake a water audit. Undetected leaks in schools can account for up to 70% of water use.

Where is water used in schools?

Educating and managing for water efficiency School water management can be Improved by: Analysing water bills and determining school water efficiency eg via a water use calculator and DEC benchmarks. Conducting a water audit eg Sydney Water has a DVD on how to do it. Regular monitoring of the meter to check for leaks – templates are available through Asset Management/Curriculum websites and through Sydney Water Other initiatives? Note: Stormwater can also be a sustainability issue in schools leading to direct impacts on local waterways. Stormwater can be managed and taught as an aspect of waste or water education by conducting a stormwater drain audit, spraying positive signs on drains, conducting litter surveys and educating students about where waste goes.

School water saving actions Improve school water efficiency by: Reporting and fixing leaks Using water from a tank to irrigate and flush toilets Mulching gardens Monitoring meters Using a smart meter (eg Watersave) Putting water saving signs in toilets Upgrading and modifying water appliances

Water efficiency education programs Observatory Hill EEC -Water Wiseguys program See Observatory Hill EEC and Sydney Water website for more details

Energy management in schools

Energy costs Electricity is a major cost for schools, and like domestic electricity, costs are set to rise. Items like smartboards and the DEC laptop rollout are contributing to rising energy cost. For example, a connected classroom costs $800 per year to run and 24/7 and would emit 5,000 kgs of C02. The controls console would cost an additional $400 pa.

Energy Benchmarking Total average - 1.78kWh per student per day NSW DEC Energy efficiency – electricity consumption Total average - 1.78kWh per student per day Total average per head - 359 kWh per annum Primary school average – 278 kWh per student per year Secondary School average - 442 kWh per student per year Each 100 kWh of electricity= 100 kg of CO2 (greenhouse gas)

Energy Efficiency Greenhouse gas emissions have implications for Climate change. The ‘Heat is on’ DVD is available for all secondary schools and through Observatory Hill EEC Website Energy benchmarking – Webgraphs are available from Energy Australia Watts Workout Lighting audit - Light meter Holiday shutdown guide ‘Be cool not cold‘- aircon guide

With our increased use of technology enhanced learning, we need to consider how we can support DEC’s targets to reduce our schools carbon footprints? Webgraphs supplied by Energy Australia enable the ‘Bill Busters’ to monitor the success of the WOW Plan! Your schools user name is..........................and password is......................... Watch Our watts - a curriculum project for Stage 3 focussing on a design brief for school energy efficiency . 13

Energy efficiency strategies Lighting audit – lets you know if rooms are over lit so excess bulbs can be removed Monitoring school Webgraphs – a visual representations of how much energy is being used Holiday shutdown guide

Course activities Watts Workout – a game to show how much energy different appliances use? Powermate – a device which shows the kilowatt hours of appliances

Energy efficiency education programs There are opportunities to use the DEC Sustainability Action Process in energy efficiency programs like: Watch Our Watts Observatory Hill EEC’s Energy Efficiency program Carbon Kids - CSIRO Climate Clever Energy Savers – A DEC energy efficiency program