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Leaflet 16
Using solar energy in schools
Solar energy can provide free
natural ventilation, daylight and heat.
Its effective use in refurbishment and
new buildings can:
create a quality interior,
reduce fuel bills, and thus minimise
global environmental impacts.
Passive solar design
Every school will want to achieve a good
and healthy classroom environment in which
pupils can concentrate. For this, it is
essential to have effective ventilation and
lighting all the year round, and heating in the
winter. Schools are also looking for ways to
run themselves more efficiently and save
money. Using energy more efficiently is an
obvious way of doing so.
Nabbotts Junior School showing natural ventilation through a classroom to the atrium
Well known measures, like better insulation
and up to date controls on heating systems, even in the annual maintenance budget. For Moreover, natural ventilation, daylight and
will be familiar to school managers. Less example, a well insulated rooflight can be sunlight (provided thought is given to
familiar is passive solar design which added during roof renewal to bring daylight preventing excessive unwanted solar gain)
exploits daylight, natural ventilation and into the interior of a room and improve are very popular with pupils and teachers.
solar heating. These can be used to save ventilation. Windows which admit excessive Here is how one teacher described her
the school money and to create an attractive solar heat in summer can be shaded with passive solar designed school:
working environment. permanent or moveable external blinds or The moment one walks in through the door
Passive solar design exploits the building's louvres or, if the site allows it, by planting and into the classroom, I enjoy being here. Its
orientation, shape, materials, windows, deciduous trees. not the sort of place that you feel at the end of
internal room arrangement and the external To be successful, passive solar measures the day you want to rush away from. New
landscaping, in combination with other need to be integrated with other energy parents come in and say Oh what a lovely
energy efficiency measures, to create a efficiency measures rather than considered room because it is so nice to be able to look
pleasant working environment which is less in isolation. For example, if lights remain on out. Its a good environment, its good for us
dependent on fossil fuel based energy. and I think its good for the children. Its the
when there is sufficient daylight, or if the
sort of place that I would like to see children
Unlike some energy efficiency measures, for heating is still on when solar gains suffice to
beginning school in. I think that even if we
example, heating or lighting controls, which raise the temperature to its desired level,
were in the centre of a city it would still be the
are renewed periodically, most passive solar then free solar energy does not save energy
same sort of warm friendly environment.
measures, like orientation, are fundamental nor the money it costs. The money could be
Looe Junior School Teacher
to a building and cannot be changed. better spent on other school needs.
Others, like window size, are unlikely to be Surprisingly, such benefits can be achieved
The benefits of passive solar
changed more than once in the life of a within normally accepted cost yardsticks. For
In addition to the obvious economic benefits example, Nabbotts School cost 381/m 2
building, if at all. Schools should therefore
of lower fuel and maintenance bills, reduced compared with the average of 476/m2 for
ensure that their consultants are briefed to
energy consumption, arising from passive primary schools in 1990. Looe School cost
consider passive solar design in their
solar design and energy efficiency 417/m 2 which was close to the national
proposals, along with other energy efficiency
measures, right from the start of any scheme. improvement, has environmental benefits. average for its time of 398/m2. The extra
Fossil fuel combustion is a major source of cost was due to a higher specification
Opportunities for exploitation carbon dioxide emissions, which could because of its exposed cliff top location.
The design of a new extension or new result in significant change to global ETSUs Passive Solar programme, funded by
building offers the greatest scope for climates, and acid emissions to the the DTI, has studied both Looe and Nabbotts
passive solar measures, but there are also atmosphere, which damage vegetation and School. Their results, and those for a school
opportunities in refurbishment schemes, or can cause health problems. refurbishment, are described overleaf.
ARCHIVED DOCUMENT
or further copies of this or other Best Practice programme publications please contact BRECSU and ETSU.
or buildings-related projects: Enquiries Bureau, BRECSU, Building Research Establishment, Garston, Watford, WD2 7JR. Tel 0923 664258. Fax 0923 664787.
or industrial projects: Energy Efficiency Enquiries Bureau, ETSU, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RA. Tel 0235 436747. Telex 83135. Fax 0235 432923. Crown copyright November 1993