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How much energy are our solar panels making?
This is just one of the questions which our Year 6 Energy Team ask every week as they carry out the very important job of monitoring our energy use and production! They also read the electricity and gas meters in our basement and keep a careful record, so that they can produce graphs and other data to help us to understand how much energy we are using.
Our water meter is harder to read, unfortunately, as it is currently located under a manhole cover in the pavement outside school. We are hoping that soon, with the help of Energy Consultant Chris Evans from BAS (Building Automation Solutions), we will have some software installed in school which will allow us instant access to our energy and water consumption via a special website.
Our solar panels, pictured above, were installed some years ago and we were one of the first schools in Trafford to have them. Half the cost was met through a Government grant and we paid the remainder from our own funds. We felt it was really important to ´practise what we preach´ and to have a very visible sign of our commitment to sustainable energy.
The photograph also shows one of the attractive murals designed and painted by our Year 3/4 teacher, Helen Keeley, with the help of pupils. It helps to set the scene for our studies on Ancient Egypt, not to mention our global links! The raised bed (lower right) is where we successfully cultivate a variety of vegetables in the summer months. Anyone for strawberries and cream?
Above and below are two close-up shots of a ´Wild Area´ display on the main corridor. There are examples of several artefacts brought in by our pupils, for example, a wasp´s nest found in a roof space and a large hole in a tree trunk pecked out by a woodpecker. We also have some lovely photographs of our wild area in all its glory in the summer. Let´s hope this year will be just as fruitful and attractive!
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