A big hall is at the heart of any school and Monk Fryston school is no exception. It is used for many aspects of school life – assemblies, music, exercise, school lunches, PTA fund raisers, and by Community groups for meetings and keep fit. Everyone is now going to be warmer or perhaps to be more precise ‘more comfortable’,
Headteacher Rick Weights reports ‘We replaced all the windows and doors in the hall over the summer with new energy efficient units that have a higher thermal efficiency rating. No more draughty doors! It's a lot better.’
Replacing the doors and windows was identified as an area for improvement by the school Eco Warrior team about 18 months ago when they conducted an energy survey of the school using the Community Thermal Imaging camera. Well done to everyone involved within the school community to ‘make it happen’ after identifying the problem and an opportunity to save energy.
A new school year means a new Eco Warrior team has been appointed and they have chosen the following topics to focus on in the coming year: reducing / collecting litter (in school and the community): transport (encouraging walking & cycling): biodiversity (providing new habitats and homes). It’s easy to see how these topics can work and with support positively impact on all our community. We encourage everyone to support this year’s Eco Warrior team and ensure the school’s very impressive Eco Schools record continues.
Breaking News: Rick also reports ‘I have just been notified that we have an energy efficiency grant from the government and we are able to spend this on solar panels, so we have an array being installed at the end of October in half term. This will go on the hall roof (south facing aspect with large roof area) and very much matches the feasibility study that Locogen provided to the project (with a grant from the Rural Communities Energy Fund). I don't think funding can stretch to a battery at this point but the plan will be able to accommodate this when we can.’
This is fantastic news for the school and the project – another step towards our aim of making our buildings Carbon neutral. Well Done.
