In 2011, we received a grant for 39 solar panels at Nunawading Christian College. The panels were installed on the roof of our gymnasium. It took several months and a lot of negotiating to have a Smart Meter placed at the school so that we could accurately register the power generated from our solar panels and begin to see the benefits of generating our own electricity.

We open our hall and gymnasium to many community groups throughout the week and also on weekends. We have estimated that the school uses approximately 50% of the energy and the community groups are responsible for the remaining 50%. In spite of the increase in use of our school facilities, our power usage and costs have reduced dramatically. We have been able to reduce the greenhouse pollution per student by 76% from 2011 and our electricity usage has reduced by 79%. These figures represent January to October data but they are exciting and our school community is celebrating the success of these results.