As a group we evaluated the school baseload for the month of November 2023 as there appeared to be big spikes in baseload amount, as a group we evaluated what could be causing this dramatic change. The class had a discussion about baseload in homes and how this could be different to schools. In small groups the ecoclub stayed after school and went around the academy recording all extra items that could be adding to the baseload, in particular we were monitoring non compulsory fridges, we counted 19 extra fridges around the academy and discussed this with HR to find solutions to lower the baseload
Activity description
What does your school use electricity for?
Some of those items could be switched off overnight but some of them need to be kept on all the time (at least during term time). The electricity that is needed to power items that keep running at all times is called your baseload. This can be measured by how much electricity is being consumed when the school is empty (evenings, weekends and holidays).
More than half this school's energy is used when it's closed!
Why would you want to keep paying for electricity when no one is in school? Cutting down on this means cutting costs plus reducing your carbon footprint.
Look at the following graphs. Each point on the graphs show the average amount of electricity being used during out of hours periods each day. For one of these schools, its baseload changes quite a lot from day to day. For the other, baseload remains quite consistent - for most of the year.
Can you see how the baseload in the first example varies wildly from day to day? This means that the baseload is not consistent. From one day to another different amounts of electricity are being used and different amounts of equipment are left running when the school is closed.
Let’s look at the second example again. Can you see how in October 2024 something dramatically changed? What do you think the cause of this might have been? a. All electrical items were switched off b. Something that uses a little bit of electricity was left on c. Something that uses a lot of electricity was left on d. A new piece of equipment was installed
Look at your school
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Look carefully at the graph. How has the baseload changed over time? Does it change seasonally (from summer to winter)? Are there any unusual spikes or drops? What stories can you tell by looking at the data? Click on the graph and compare school days with weekends and holidays. Is electricity being used at the same time every day?
Let’s look at the second example again. Can you see how in October 2024 something dramatically changed. What do you think the cause of this might have been?
This school had a temporary swimming pool installed on its playground.
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