In recent months we have seen schools across the UK come under increased pressure as soaring energy bills have taken funding away from important areas and have led to some schools falling into deficit.

Old school buildings are leaking heat causing high bills, wasting energy, and contributing to CO2 emissions. According to the Carbon Trust, schools have the power to prevent 625,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year by tackling energy use and preventing wastage. There are many behaviour change initiatives schools can take to reduce energy use, the Let’s Go Zero campaign - a coalition of environmental organisations which support schools to be zero carbon by 2030 - have published some Top Tips for Energy Saving which are quick and useful resource.

Retrofitting old school buildings – improving the fabric, structure and energy systems so that the building is more energy efficient – is one way to not only improve the quality of the buildings and future proof our schools, but also to create much needed jobs across the country and fill a skills gap. It’s estimated that to retrofit English schools alone and get buildings to be zero carbon in operation would cost £23 billion. But this must be thought of as an essential investment - spending now to create warm, future-proof buildings will save more in the long term.

Some of the schools that have signed up to the Let’s Go Zero campaign have already started taking steps to retrofit their buildings, saving money and carbon. Dalmain Primary School in London, has worked with school retrofit specialists Retrofit Action For Tomorrow (RAFT) and their local authority, Lewisham Council, on retrofitting their old school building. By repairing their roof, installing wall and roof insulation and new roof lighting they have made an energy saving of 62 per cent.

Stony Dean School in Buckinghamshire has managed to replace all their lighting to LEDs and install 94 solar panels through Salix funding. This has led to a £300 monthly saving on lighting and a £2,700 annual saving on fuel bills due to the solar panels, after repaying the loan. This money can now be fed back into the school to support learning and other initiatives.

Comberton Village College is a rural school based in Cambridgeshire. They have done some extensive work putting in a new ground source heat network (a renewable energy system which uses heat from the ground) to future-proof their school and move away from the expensive and unsustainable 4,000 litres of heating oil they used to use every week. They have also installed solar PVs, converted fully to LED lighting, and hope to install 10 EV charging points. They were able to do all the work without having to close the school once, and prioritised involving and engaging the students in the work as much as possible.

Ian Goodchild, Director of non-domestic sales at Kensa Heat Pumps says: “Ground Source heat pumps are a best fit for a majority of schools, due to offering the lowest carbon emissions, lowest lifecycle cost and most importantly right now, the lowest running cost solutions – this is due to the higher efficiency ground source systems can provide.’

The Let’s Go Zero Campaign aims to help schools learn from their peers, share best practice and connect with sources of support, including working with local authorities and Academy Trusts. To find out more on how the campaign can support your school,

visit: www.letsgozero.org