A SCHOOL which is saving around £60,000 a year on its energy bills and gaining a reputation for its environmental work across the country has been shortlisted for an international award.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize, which recognises and rewards innovation, impact, leadership and long term vision in renewable energy and sustainability, is the latest award Okehampton College is competing for with the opportunity of winning global recognition.

Over the last four years the college has installed a number of energy saving measures like photo-voltaic panels and energy measuring devices in order to increase increase energy efficiency.

The result has not only saved money which can be spent on the curriculum but is also educational — the school is being used as example of good practice.

If the school should win the Zayed prize, to honour the legacy of environmental protection and concern for conservation, established by the late ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, it will receive $100,000 which will be used to install two modest wind turbines (18 metres tall), for which it has obtained planning permission, and a wood pellet biomass heating system.

Community energy manager Keith Webber said: 'We now have a building management system in place so we can measure what we use in order to control it.

'We have 3,000 low energy lights fitted and an after-school club of energy detectives who keep an eye on things.

'We have 80KW of solar PV and have made some very impressive savings by installing meters and dials so we can see what is happening. Before, on a bad weather day, we could spend close to £1,000 on gas and electric. Now that varies between 0 and £400.

'We are using the savings on the learning programme here at the college but we are also changing the mindset of the 1,600 staff and students here at the college who are becoming aware of how important it is to use energy wisely and generate what we can by renewable means.'

Mr Webber said the college's gas was currently supplied by a Russian company but the hope was to install a wood pellet heating system in order for the college to be sustainable. The wood pellets would be made by an Okehampton firm from sawdust from Devon sawmills.

'We have used lots of Okehampton firms so far in the work we have done at the college and we hope that they will get more work from the enquiries we have had from other schools about installing energy saving measures.

'We have visits from UK and European schools who have stayed at the youth hostel and spent money in the town so there is a lot of benefit from what we are doing here, not just for us but Okehampton as a whole.

The winners of the Zayed Future Energy Prize will be announced in January 2013.