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Killenaule, Co. Tipperary - Ireland

SCOIL RUAIN

Background

Scoil Ruain is leading the way by achieving their green flag and the first school in Ireland to receive a DISPLAY certificate.
The school and its pupils have been very active and aware in the areas of energy and environmental issues for a number of years and the school was recently awarded its second Green Schools flag, thus showing their ongoing commitment to environmental issues.
The school approached the Tipperary Energy Agency to carry out an energy audit in 2005 in the school in order to assess the energy usage of the building and to identify potential energy saving measures. The Energy Agency then provided the school with advice, to improve the energy efficiency of the school buildings. The Energy Agency also invited the school to become involved in the Display campaign.


Building details

Type of building: School (2 main blocks)
Year of construction/ Floor area: 1st block : early 1980’s, 2nd block : early 1990’s / 2,327 m2 in total
Heating and cooling / measures installed 3 methods of space heating : oil fired central heating in the original building; gas fired central heating in the 2nd block; and electric storage heating (biggest system in the school)
Energy label/CO2 emissions Energy rating C (155 kWh/m2/year) ; CO2 emissions rating C (31 kg/m2/year). As there is generally no water metering system in Ireland, Scoil Ruain was given an average rate for water use (D)

Project Description

Aim To promote understanding of energy, raise energy awareness amongst teachers and pupils, and create changes in energy use behaviour both at school and in the home.
To improve the energy efficiency of the school’s building.
Key points Scoil Ruain is involved in the Green Schools Programme in association with South Tipperary County Council. Scoil Ruain wants its pupils to recognise the importance of environmental issues and take them more seriously in their personal and home lives.
Because the Display campaign is complementary to the Green School programme, Scoil Ruain had no hesitation when the Tipperary Energy Agency suggested them to be the first Irish school joining the campaign.


Scoil Ruain received its Display posters and certificates on June 1st 2006

The Display campaign provides an opportunity to further develop the Green School project. It provides an important additional tool to promote energy and water conservation to school children and their parents.
A ceremony was organised to present Scoil Ruain with its poster. Local authorities’ representatives, representatives of the school and journalists attended the ceremony together with the school’s Green committee. This was a great opportunity to highlight the importance of energy matters. It was also a positive experience for the students of the Green Committee as they had to prepare a speech and this was an opportunity for their work to be officially recognised and awarded.


Joe Donovan (Vice Chairman of South Tipperary County Council) displayed the Green Committee with a special certificate, as they are the first school to join the Display Campaign in Ireland. (Scoil Ruain, June 1st 2006)

The Display campaign will also be a way to measure the efficiency of the different measures undertaken by Scoil Ruain after the energy audit. The audit identified a number of areas where savings could be achieved, and where changes could be made to increase the comfort level of the school. Scoil Ruain has started implementing some of these recommendations. For example, most of the simple glazed windows have been replaced with efficient double glazed windows.
The aim now is to measure further savings, and the Display campaign will provide an engaging means of achieving this. A new poster will be displayed to the school in 2007 in order to track the energy consumption and to show its evolution between 2005 and 2006. The poster will highlight the changes and the savings and Scoil Ruain will hopefully improve its ratings.
Reason for inclusion as Shining Example The two factors that make this a Shining Example are the involvement of the whole school in the energy issue, and the fact that Display has been integrated with the Green School programme to produce long-lasting results and increase the impact of both programmes.
Scoil Ruain is the first school involved in the Display Campaign. This is also one of the reasons why it is a Shining Example, especially in Ireland.

The Display Campaign and the Green School Programme are two complementary actions for the schools. (Scoil Ruain, June 1st 2006)

Costs&Benefits

Costs &

funding

The audit was carried by Tipperary Energy Agency (TEA) and funded by Scoil Ruain and South Tipperary County Council.
Benefits Energy savings and CO2 emissions avoided are not known for the moment. They will be available at the end of the year. But it is expected that Scoil Ruain will significantly reduce its energy consumption, thanks to the energy-saving measures set up and thanks to the energy awareness rising among the school.
The great benefits of the programmes are the changes in students and teachers behaviour. Scoil Ruain Principal, Colette Tracy said “from our awareness in the Green Flag programme, the awareness of both students and staff has greatly increased towards environmental issues”.
There are obvious benefits in linking the two actions (Display and Green School programme): The Green School programme is an interesting framework that allows schools to focus on the energy topic. Display can play a role as part of this programme. Once the pupils have learnt about energy through the Green School programme and the Green School Committee, they can analyse the energy consumption of their school and then display the results within the school. By taking part in a European campaign, their work is highlighted and recognised.
In County Tipperary, as part of the Display Campaign, the schools are also supplied with a list of advice (sent by the Tipperary Energy Agency together with the poster). This includes simple and technical tips in the fields of space heating, lighting, building fabric, water-saving and energy awareness-raising. It is up to the schools to implement these “tips”. The aim is to encourage them to undertake energy-saving actions and to work out their savings by having a Display poster done one year later to compare their energy label.

Partners&Roles

Partnership details The partners are South Tipperary County Council and Tipperary Energy Agency, which have signed up to the Display campaign in order to analyse and improve the energy efficiency of public buildings in County Tipperary. The Tipperary Energy Agency particularly focused on schools as it is very important to raise energy awareness among children, and as it is hoped that this would also have an impact on their parents.

Recommendations

Achievments - From the participation of the Scoil Ruain in the Green Flag programme and the Display campaign, the awareness of both students and staff has greatly increased towards energy and environmental issues.
- The commitment of the school is shown through two new projects to do with energy: One focuses on growing of energy crops and the other investigates the potential for wind energy.
- The fact that Scoil Ruain joined Display will encourage other schools to participate as well.
Lessons Learned - Linking the Display programme and the Green School programme increases the efficiency and the impact of both projects. Pupils and teachers are more able to understand the Display poster and the Display campaign once they have been involved in the energy issue thanks to the Green School programme. And schools involved in the Green Schools programme have a chance to use their new knowledge and to have a good tool to assess the energy efficiency of their school by joining the Display campaign.
- It would be advantageous if the Display campaign could be promoted together with the Green School programme. The schools that wish to get a Green flag should be informed about the Display campaign and have the possibility to join it as it is a good exercise and a useful tool.
- It is easier to get Green schools involved in the Display campaign as they are already aware of the energy issues and as they already have knowledge about energy.


To know more

Organisation Tipperary Energy Agency
Contact Seamus Hoyne
Phone 00 3 53 52 43090
Email info@tea.ie
Website www.tea.ie

Useful info

Publications
Websites www.greenschoolsireland.org
Arrangements to visit

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