Student Engagement with energy at Okehampton College

One of the most successful activities the college did was encouraging simple behaviour changes in the staff and students.

What did they do?

They bought stickers – little green smiley faces and red frowny faces. A team of students went around the school at the end of the day and if a staff member had left something on, they’d put a red sticker by it, and if everything was off, they got a smiley green sticker.

They did that every day for a month and then as they saw behaviour change, went down to once a week. It worked in changing behaviour and culture.

Linking to the curriculum

Another activity involved the students measuring the power usage of the two different kinds of light, making a great link to science curriculum learning.

What was the result?

Student-led behaviour change combined with insulation, moving to LED lights and smart controls, the college halved their energy use.

At the time, the overall saving was estimated to have cut energy bills by £20,000 and 70 tonnes of CO2 a year.

More about Okehampton College

Okehampton College is a turn-of-the-century grammar school in Devon, that has had lots of building additions over the years. They have undertaken a substantial amount of energy-saving measures in the school, at a time when energy efficiency and generation weren’t high on the agenda.

As an energy pioneer, the college has made improvements to cut its carbon emissions and we are showcasing their work here to inspire other schools, including schools in Oxfordshire.

Watch our webinar

Watch our webinar on how to boost student and staff engagement with energy:

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If you’re working at a school based in Oxfordshire, get in touch with our team to discuss how we can help you save carbon and energy and make your school more comfortable and healthier.