An energy management policy is the first step in ensuring that you conserve energy in your school. Ideally, a separate team should be set up to plan the entire school’s expenditure on energy and to identify means to reduce wastage.
Define desired outcomes:
The first step in formulating an energy management policy is to define clearly, what the desired outcome will be. Tangible and achievable goals need to be set, in every area of operation of the whole school. The school administration needs to define clearly the roles and responsibilities of various staff when it comes to enforcing the policy.
The policy needs to be made available in written form. This will serve two purposes. First it symbolizes the school’s commitment to save energy. Second it helps to act as a guidebook for all concerned making transition of responsibilities between staff easier.
Analyze the effect of the energy policy:
An energy management policy must take into consideration the effect of energy saving measures on the regular functioning of the school. An energy saving drive must not be detrimental to staff morale, productivity, health and safety.
Format for your energy policy:
The basic constituents of an energy policy include, a brief introduction describing the purpose of the energy policy. This should be followed by the main action plan. The action plan will have a detailed time table of energy saving. This plan should cover staffing levels, the amount of capital required and the kind of training needed to implement the plan. The action plan should distribute responsibility and accountability amongst various staff members to ensure that the energy management plan is carried out effectively. This is a hierarchy spanning the school’s principal or registrar at one end and perhaps the janitor at the other. Finally, the action plan needs to have a review process that can check the progress of implementation of the plan on a periodic basis.
Developing an action plan:
Action plans cover a practical way to implement the energy plan. This includes having a communication strategy to increase internal awareness regarding energy use. An energy database needs to be set up which will record energy consumption levels, costs incurred, and savings and performance indicators.
Get everyone involved:
A well-defined energy management policy can act as an impetus for the entire school. Everyone from senior management to the students themselves will be geared to trying to be more energy efficient and save energy in the process.
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