Sawston Village College is a comprehensive school committed to providing inclusive, comprehensive education to all. Part of the Anglian Learning Trust, the College has around 1,000 pupils between the ages of 11 and 16.

The school aims to be at the heart of its local community – and the local community at the heart of the school. Its well-equipped sports centre hosts many clubs, children’s parties and events, and the College also has a cinema run by pupils. School leaders recognised its responsibility to conserve water and engaged Zenergi to carry out energy and water surveys to identify opportunities for reducing water consumption.

Challenge

Water benchmarking analysis was carried out, comparing the annual m³ of water for each pupil to set benchmark figures. It concluded that Sawston Village College is using an excessive volume of water expected for a secondary school with a swimming pool.

Analysis of the monthly consumption profile found that over a period of two years the monthly water consumption is very constant each month of the year, without the typical reduction in consumption that would be expected in August and December.

During the months in 2020/21 when pupil numbers were a lot lower due to COVID-19 lockdowns, the water consumption hasn’t reduced, remaining the same as in normal operating times. The survey found that around 460 litres of water is used every hour out of school hours.

Solution

The survey identified low cost measures that cumulatively should lead to annual cost savings of approximately £6,270, with an estimated investment cost of £1,000, giving a return on investment of a few months. This would be a 48% reduction in the current financial cost of water.