Roshine National School, Co. Donegal with the assistance of Jim Duffy, Northern Energy Assessors

When we started work on our 2^nd Green Flag we decided to establish what our energy consumption was. We contacted Energy Consultant, Jim Duffy who provided mentoring advice, assessment and a report detailing opportunities for energy savings.

Armed with the report, the principal James Gillespie with his 5^th and 6^th class pupils set about doing an energy audit. Some of the findings were expected while others were quite surprising. Most importantly, it provided a clear picture of their energy use.

The pupils were organised into teams of architects, engineers, scientists and computer experts and given the following roles & tools.

Architects

Role: Measure the building(s) and record the floor area of buildings with different ages

Tools: Ruler, scaled or grid –lined paper, pencils, eraser

Engineers

Role: Survey the building (s) and record the building services, lighting heating, equipment

Tools: Sharp eyes, pencil eraser, DEC input form from www.energyeducation.ie

Scientists

Role: Review the energy bills, convert oil litres to kWh , Sum all kWh fuel

Tools: Energy bills, conversion tables, calculator, pencil and paper

Computer Experts

Role: Enter all data into the on-line form  at www.energyeducation.ie and publish the DEC

Tools: All data gathered, computer, on-line connection, printer