Environmental Sustainability -Tool for the Replication of Energy Efficiency in Schools (TREES)

About TREES

Tool for the Replication of Energy Efficiency in Schools (TREES) is a user-friendly, innovative software tool that can help teachers and students measure and reduce school energy consumption within schools. TREES can be used by schools as both a facilities/business tool in order to make significant energy, greenhouse gas and financial savings and be incorporated into a school’s curriculum (e.g. science and mathematics).

The TREES tool has been distributed to all Victorian Government schools in a CD-ROM format. The Department has also provided access to non-government schools, by making the documents that support the use of the TREES tool available here. 

To use TREES, save the tool directly onto your computer following the directions below.

Directions for using the tool

Download and save the TREES excel spreadsheet (Excel - 1.4Mb) to your hard drive, making a note of the location.

• Note - you will need to save the TREES spreadsheet directly onto your computer if you want to save a copy of the data created. To save this file: 
  - (Windows) Right click on the above link and select Save Target As... or Save Link As..
  - (Macintosh) Right click on the above link and choose Save Linked File As... or Control+Click and choose Save Linked File As...
• Create a new sub-folder on your hard drive in the same location you have saved the TREES spreadsheet. The folder must be named exactly 'InfoTechSpecifications' (no quote marks in the folder name)
• Download and save all of the documents listed below that support the use of the tool into the new 'InfoTechSpecifications' folder. You can do this by right clicking on the link as advised above.

You will now be able to save your data and access all the information sheets.

Documents supporting the TREES tool

• Resources for School Energy Managers - School heating (PDF - 540Kb)
• Resources for School Energy Managers - School cooling (PDF - 387Kb)
• Resources for School Energy Managers - Hot water in schools (PDF - 258Kb)
• Canteen energy shutdown procedure (Word - 144Kb)
• Resources for School Energy Managers: Case Study 2 - Cooling a primary school (PDF - 57Kb)
• Central systems (Word - 674Kb)
• Central systems versus space heaters (Word - 674Kb)
• Push-button (count-down) timers on all large air conditioners and evaporative coolers (Word - 639Kb)
• Push button timers on reverse cycle air conditioners (Word - 751Kb)
• Resources for School Energy Managers: Case Study 1 - Delamping classrooms (PDF - 80Kb)
• Resources for School Energy Managers: Case Study 3 - Retirement of centralised domestic hot water (PDF - 162Kb)
• Delamp and relamp (Word - 156Kb)
• Install timer on hot water ring main pump (Word - 144Kb)
• Eliminate ring main system, install individual Domestic Hot Water (DHW) heaters (Word - 169Kb)
• The difference between evaporative coolers and air conditioners (Word - 248Kb)
• Liquid crystal display (LCD) and cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors (Word - 393Kb)
• Improve winter sealing of rooms (Word - 1.2Mb)
• IT energy management strategies (PDF - 167Kb)
• Learn how to quantify energy use (Word - 136Kb)
• What is Legionella? (Word - 136Kb)
• Reduce hours of operation of lights (Word - 144Kb)
• Optimum start and stop controls on central gas systems (Word - 146Kb)
• Program all PCs to go into standby mode (Word - 182Kb)
• Sustainable energy info - Reverse cycle air conditioning (PDF - 203Kb)
• School energy shutdown guide (PDF - 455Kb)
• School holiday energy shutdown procedure (Word)
• Smart photoelectric (PE) cells to control security lights (Word - 142Kb)
• Install timers on drink fridges (Word - 145Kb)
• Turn off pilot lights on wall-mounted heaters over summer (Word - 140Kb)
• Resources for School Energy Managers - Understanding energy bills (PDF - 335Kb)

 

Related information

Return to the Environmental Sustainability - Resources page or see Environmental Sustainability websites.