Switched on Nuneaton school collects climate change prize
St Nicolas C of E Primary school in Nuneaton is due to collect £150 as third prize in a competition to raise awareness of climate change in Warwickshire’s schools.
12 March 2008
Schools were challenged by Warwickshire County Council to carry out a ‘Secret Energy Check’, recording their electricity consumption for a week in the run-up to last year’s Switch It Off week, then checking their readings again once they had promoted the campaign throughout the school.
Pupils and teachers at St Nicolas C of E Primary bagged the third place spot by recording a 42% drop in energy consumption (only slightly behind the winners who recorded a 50% drop) and noting an impressive 100% reduction in the number of items usually left on stand-by.
The competition proved an excellent element of the `Switch it off’ campaign, which encourages people to turn off appliances when not in use, and particularly not to leave electrical items on stand-by.
For example, a television watched for just four hours a day, yet left on stand-by for the remaining 20 hours will cost £61 a year, similarly an inkjet printer left on stand by for 20 hours a day will cost £33 per year, these costs can be slashed dramatically by simply turning them off rather than leaving them on stand by.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said:
“It may sound clichéd but the children of Warwickshire are our future, and it’s vital that they understand the impact they can have every day on preventing climate change by taking very simple actions. And it gives them a chance to tell their teachers off if they see them leaving lights on in classrooms!
“If everyone in Warwickshire, Coventry and Worcestershire stopped leaving appliances on stand-by it would prevent 86,322 tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere through wasted electricity and save more than £20m (enough to pay the annual electricity bill for 71,953 homes).”
For more information on taking steps to `Switch it off’ visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/switchitoff or call the energy advice hotline on 0800 512012.
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For more information and interview opportunities contact Gillian Squires or Emma Clarke on 01926 418036.