Ashden Award Means Bright Future for Clyst Vale…

Mr Greig and Mr Colin are seen here with teachers from other schools in Devon who have been granted a place on the Ashden Awards Scheme to promote energy efficiency. Mr Greig has written a report on the scheme and how it could benefit Clyst Vale. If these extracts whet your appetite, the full version of the report is available here.

Clyst Vale is changing. We have been lucky enough to gain a place on the Ashden Awards Scheme in recognition of our plans to revolutionise our approach to energy usage over the next decade.

Most students never get a glimpse of the scale of what happens behind the scenes to keep them warm or cool or able to see the work they are doing. We have two electricity meters which are fed by our own miniature sub-station; this had to be installed a few years ago due to our persistent habit of blowing the main fuse between us and the grid. Our five gas meters feed twelve boilers that heat the MFL, English, Post-16, Music, Science labs, Reprographics, Technology and Skills Room areas.

Our journey with energy usage is about to move into a higher gear. The changes we will make are going to have a profound effect on our habits, our policies, our students but most importantly on our ability to decide how to deploy resources to sustainably improve the life of the College community for decades to come.

Our vision is ambitious but achievable. Within a decade, we hope to be energy self sufficient. Our involvement with the Ashden Awards Scheme will allow us to make things happen. The Ashden Award represents the beginning of something which is set to alter the way that Clyst Vale students, staff and hopefully people in our immediate community think about and consume energy