GovWire

By 2025, all education settings are expected to have a:

• climate action plan
• nominated sustainability lead

Climate action plans help encourage action and build climate resilience in your estate and community.

Your estate vision, estate strategy and asset management plan must take account of any relevant actions or projects in the schools climate action plan. Your climate action plan and strategic estate documents should work together as part of your strategic estate management plan.

There is a range of support available, including:

• Sustainability Support for Education hub offering tailored links to resources and guidance
• Climate Ambassadors offering bespoke, expert support for developing a climate action plan
• National Education Nature Park offering resources for increasing access to nature and biodiversity on your estate

Reducing your energy usage and increasing energy efficiency are effective ways to save money. They lower your schools carbon footprint and promote sustainability by helping to conserve finite resources.

Understand your energy usage

Knowing how much energy you use and what factors are affecting consumption helps you target energy reduction activities and evaluate their effectiveness.

Smart meters and energy management systems can help reduce energy usage and provide learning opportunities for data analysis to understand user behaviour.

There are a range of options for improving energy efficiency, from everyday behavioural changes to more complex interventions. You should consider what is most appropriate for your school, depending on the schools estate, circumstances and needs.

Tips to reduce energy and water use in schools has further information.

Water is an important resource. Schools should implement sustainable water management practices, which help conserve water, minimise waste and potentially save money.

To minimise water used in your school, you should create a water management plan that:

• defines roles and responsibilities
• establishes reasonable reduction targets for water consumption
• includes a strategy for continuous monitoring

Understand your water usage

It is important to understand your schools water consumption, including where water is being used. This could be done using bills and observing usage patterns and behaviours. School with sub-meters can use them to monitor water usage in different areas of the site.

Reduce your water usage

You should complete an assessment to identify any issues and potential efficiency measures, which may include:

• repairing leaks
• installing low flow taps
• upgrading toilets and urinals to have lower flush volumes
• utilising rainwater by installing water butts, which can be used for irrigation when required

You can engage learners and staff on the importance of conserving water by encouraging them to get involved with creating and implementing your water management plan. Resources on the sustainability support for education hub can help with this.

Managing surface water

Your water management

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