Transcript New Becta. Our Future

ICT and environmental sustainability
Nick Shacklock, Head of Network Technology, Becta
BETT 08
Friday, 11 January 2008
Where is school energy going?
• School energy consumption is going up because of:
– extended schools (7.5 – 12 hours a day)
– increased use of ICT
• Just when we are being targeted to reduce them:
– Climate Change Levy (non domestic energy bills tax);
– Best value performance indicator BVPI-180 (energy/m2);
– Planned ‘Carbon reduction commitment’ (larger LAs);
– Children’s Plan – zero carbon school buildings by 2016.
What to do about this conundrum?
We won’t stop using technology in education
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ICT skills contribute to lower-carbon economic growth
proved to improve attainment
electronic registration reduces absences;
on-demand parental reporting;
use in lesson planning, preparation, delivery-growing
We can mitigate ICT’s impact on school energy
consumption:
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2.
3.
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in what we design and build
through what we purchase
in how we manage
in how we behave
What we can do in design / build?
• Avoid air conditioning through
– natural ventilation
– solar shading and light shelves
– building controls
– building management plans.
• Exploit waste heat from ICT!
• Make day-lighting and ICT compatible
– To avoid having blinds down all day.
– To reduce need for artificial light.
– Whiteboards placed to avoid window glare.
What we can do in ICT purchasing?
• Buy Energy Star 4.0 compliant equipment.
• Exploit the EU Energy Star database.
• Set aside budget to prepare the environment that ICT will
be used in.
• Laptops often use less energy than desktops.
• Desktop virtualisation avoids need for local hard-drives.
• Only buy printers which will print double sided.
• National Audit Office say replace ICT every three years.
Managing and behaving
(a) Reducing ICT carbon footprint
• Increase ‘enabling rates’ of power / resource saving
settings:
– monitor
– sleep
– hibernate.
• Reinforce old cliché - switch off when not in use
– monitors
– terminal equipment (PCs etc)
– NOT servers?
Managing and behaving
(b) Using ICT to reduce school’s footprint
• Video conference instead of travel
– (some) school visits replaced by point to multipoint
video cast.
– Staff meetings over multiple sites.
• Home access to avoid travel for students
• Notes, worksheets and letters on web
• Set and mark homework online