Great Learners Trust (GLT), with its 11 Buckinghamshire primary schools, has become the first multi-academy trust to achieve Energy Conscious Organisation (EnCO) status for its work collectively reducing energy consumption through operational and behavioural change.
GLT follows in the footsteps of global engineering giants to achieve this standard from EnCO, a not-for-profit joint initiative run by the Energy Services and Technology Association and supported by the Energy Institute.
The Trust also received a coveted award for demonstrating energy management and savings from people-led interventions and solutions at the recent EnCO Annual Conference, and its EnCO Organisation status is valid for three years.
The GLT application and accompanying case study showed the Trust had followed the principles of behaviour change namely: engagement, alertness, skills, recognition and adaption as set out in the EnCO matrix. The judges commented that “the Trust gave many examples of how these principles have been applied in practice and achieved energy efficiencies with impressive reductions”.
The submission highlighted how GLT leaders have written an extensive Sustainability Policy and aims to be net zero by 2050. Progress towards that trajectory is updated annually and the Trust is on track. Limited resources mean the Trust is exploring “no cost behaviour change initiatives” to bring down consumption. Through logging gas supplies and accessing 30-minute electricity data, investigation of out-ofhours consumption and full involvement of all stakeholders, the overall electricity at the Trust has remained static despite the move to electrical heating. Gas has reduced by 26% and carbon 21% from the base year. This is all attributed to using data to spot problems, investigate anomalies and dedicated monthly energy and carbon reporting to continuously measure and manage consumption. Water has also recently been included in line with the sustainability policy.
Amongst the school-based initiatives cited were moves to decarbonise heating at Elmhurst School which set the trajectory for reducing both energy and carbon, West Wycombe Primary School replacing oil heating with electrical heating from heat pumps, and Princes Risborough Primary School making substantial savings following the installation of gas loggers.