In September 2019, a group of Year 9 students were responsible for conducting an energy audit at Aitken College. This was completed to fulfil our obligations as part of the Resource Smart Schools program, but also to provide an update on energy use and habits of people at the school.

At lunchtime, a small band of student volunteers went around the school and investigated, among other things, how many lights and appliances were in certain rooms, whether there were ‘turn lights off’ signs to remind people to save energy and what types of lighting were being used.

Due to the expansive nature of the school and time constraints, students were not able to access all the rooms but, nonetheless, data was obtained from several different buildings, which ensured results were indicative of overall use by staff and students.

The results we obtained from the energy audit demonstrated that staff and students are making a good attempt at using less energy: for example, this was clear from the few cases of lights and heaters left on in rooms not occupied. However, the energy audit did clarify some gaps in our approach to energy use: for example, not all rooms had signs reminding staff and students to turn off lights when they leave. As the school expands in the years ahead, lighting considerations will be particularly important, as will the design of new buildings. Enhancing our use of solar panels may also be a consideration.

We will continue to work hard to make sure everyone at the school understands the importance of saving energy.

Thank you to the CERES staff who assisted with running the energy audit, your help is greatly appreciated.

Mr. Christopher Reid