Do you want to save money for your school and help the environment? Then follow the example of Riverside Community College, Leicester. In a project to reduce energy consumption, sunlight and ventilation has been introduced into the library and technology workshops using a system produced by Monodraught Limited.
SunPipes and WindCatchers reduce the need for artificial lighting and ventilation by delivering natural light and fresh air to the interior of buildings.
Light is captured by transparent domes on the roof and channelled into areas that would otherwise have no natural light. The SunPipes contain a super-reflective tube with an internal mirror-finish that bounces the sun’s light into the rooms below, where it is evenly diffused by a translucent ceiling fixture. Energy costs are reduced and there is less need for electric lighting in daylight hours. SunPipes come in a range of sizes and can illuminate areas from 7.5 to 70 square metres. Prices range from pound;200 to pound;3,000.
Riverside has also installedenergy-free ventilation supplied by Windcatchers. Fresh air is supplied to the workshops and library without the need for fans or extractors. Vents at roof level use the wind to circulate fresh air into rooms to overcome stuffiness.
Both systems can be controlled automatically. Sensors switch on electric lighting when necessaryl, and ventilation can be regulated to prevent heat loss in winter while still providing supplies of fresh air.
Riverside Community College is an 11-16 school and has more than 900 pupils. Principal Carolyn Robson is delighted with the new system. “The SunPipes havecreated a lot of interest with pupils - several classes are working on energy-saving projects.”
Bimel Sheta, Riverside’s business manager, says the project was undertaken after an approach from Leicester Energy Efficiency Centre and Leicester Council. The Government’s New Deal for Schools paid for some of the installation. She says the college will save up to pound;3,000 a year on bills.
The School Energy Programme provides conservation grants and aims to cut the 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions that UK schools create each year. The reduction of this greenhouse gas is one government target that schools could now help withrelatively painlessly.
Cliff Porter
Contacts
Monodraught Tel: 01494 897700 www.monodraught.co.uk School Energy www.schoolenergy.org.uk
