Salix Case Study
Oakington Manor School
Background Info
Oakington Manor is a large multi-site school on three floors, comprising classrooms, two multi-purpose halls, a new sports hall, new foundation stage block, free standing private nursery and a substantial administrative suite. This coming year their energy costs will have been reduced by £8,000 thanks to the involvement of ES Consultancy.
Oakington Manor school buildings are very heavily used by the school, groups and individuals within the local community and for commercial lettings, resulting in a seven day week consumption of gas and electricity. In 2008 Oakington total cost for gas and electricity consumption was approximately £40,000. Energy on site and proposals are being managed by Facilities Manager Cyril Copitch.
At the initiative of the Head Teacher, Sylvie Libson, and in order to achieve savings and stabilise costs, in recent years Oakington has been upgrading its energy using equipment, renewing where possible old systems and installations and ensuring that any repairs or new build are delivered to as high a specification as can be afforded, looking to long term outcomes.
Energy Efficiency Initiatives
In June 2008 Oakington decided to take part of a scheme introduced by Energy Solutions Consultancy and London Borough of Brent to improve energy efficiency in schools via auditing and Salix funding. The scheme offers schools the opportunity identify cost and CO2 saving opportunities and then to bid for interest free loans, to be paid off over a number of years.
The purpose of the scheme is to encourage schools to achieve energy savings through the application of new technologies to existing equipment of replacement or installations by new, more energy efficient ones. It is calculated that the money paid on the loan will be covered by the savings made.
Energy Solutions identified a number of projects that could be funded by Salix, namely:
- Main boiler replacement
- Replacement of light fittings
- Speed control for electric motors used for ventilation in the new Sports Hall
A short financial summary of these projects and the impact they have had on the school are detailed below:
Replacing the main boiler
Total cost £15,125
Loan for project £13,750 agreed
Repayment cost - £2844 per annum over 5 year
Final year repayment - £904
Estimated savings per annum £3,792
Savings after repayment years £3,792 annually recurring
Replacing all light fittings
246 units to be fitted
Total cost of project (project using in-house labour) £6,640
Loan for project agreed £6,640
Repayment cost - £2925 per year over 2 years
Final year repayment - £790
Estimated savings per annum £3,900
Savings after repayment years £3,900 annually recurring
Sports Hall speed control of air flow motor
Total cost £1,930
Loan for project £1,930 agreed
Repayment cost - £280 per annum over 7 year
Final year repayment - £252
Estimated savings per annum £373
Savings after repayment years £373 annually recurring
Benefits to Oakington Manor
Heating
Financial capacity to immediately replace boiler
Good timing - new boiler in place in time for 2008 very cold winter; have been able to maintain temperatures in all rooms
Analysis of latest gas bills already shows substantial savings above the estimated 20%
No increase required in gas consumption, despite need for extra heat in exceptionally cold weather
Lighting
Work is not yet completed but initial demonstrable benefits are:
A better quality of light (both in terms of lux levels and decreased flickering, which improves the concentration capacity for children) and,
Reduced energy consumption (40% less than standard fluorescent tubes)
Variable Speed Drives
By controlling the speed of the electrical motors pumping air in the Sports Hall, energy consumption is minimised while the volume of air actually needed is still circulated.
This optimised performance of the system will deliver savings between 10 and 20% of the electricity usually consumed by this kind of equipment.
If you have any questions regarding the Energy Solutions Consultancy work in schools and/or funding initiatives available for educational establishments, please contact Mayra Torres at mayra@energysolutions.org.uk, 0208 200 4507 or 07515 285 566.
