‘Rapid action needed’ to decarbonise classrooms

A Baxi-organised event brought together government representatives, heating industry experts and stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and challenges around decarbonising heat in existing school buildings. 

With the education estate responsible for 37% of public sector building emissions, decarbonising this sector is key to achieving government net zero targets, driving down energy use and bills for schools, and improving building conditions. However, progress remains slow. Insightful presentations from Baxi’s speaker panel highlighted the advances that have already been made, the shared enthusiasm for decarbonisation, and the hurdles that need to be overcome to accelerate progress. 

Jeff House, Baxi’s Director of External Affairs and Policy, presented the results of a Baxi survey designed to understand the challenges related to decarbonising heat in schools. The survey heard from school energy estates managers and heating professionals, who reported technical difficulty, energy infrastructure, financing and risks as core challenges.  

Jeff said: “The results of the survey were extremely encouraging, with respondents reporting that heat pumps have been very well received. The results showed a slight preference for selecting hybrid heat pump systems in schools, perhaps as a practical solution to the challenges identified in older buildings.” 

Paul Chambers, Deputy Director, Public Sector Decarbonisation at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, provided an update on the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and the Government’s strategy for decarbonising heat.  

Paul summarised the Government-related programmes created to address issues around financing, capacity and capability, information and incentives. These included Great British Energy’s first investment activities to install rooftop solar power in schools and complementary decarbonisation technologies (£80m for schools: £40m GB Energy, £40m DfE) and the PSDS Sector Cap for education. Paul noted that between Phase 1 and Phase 3c of the PSDS, more than £250 million has been awarded to schools and academies directly, not including funding from grants awarded to local authorities. 

Will Attlee, Head of Net Zero and Estates Strategy at LocatED, advisor to the education sector and government, provided an overview of the Net Zero Accelerator programme. The scheme is supporting 200 schools and colleges with the aim to facilitate the rapid roll out of decarbonisation initiatives across the education estate, including behaviour change programmes, M&E upgrades, energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation. 

Both Paul and Will identified the scale and diversity of the education estate as challenges to decarbonisation, but emphasised the opportunity that decarbonisation offers to support green skills for the future and deliver social value.  

The importance of collaboration was a common thread through all presentations. Will said: “Good things can happen if we work together and try and address the challenges while focussing on the opportunity. Through careful investment, by focussing on the interventions that make the biggest impact, a lot can be achieved.” 

James Carter, National Sales Manager at Oakes Energy Services, specialists in decarbonisation retrofit, provided best practice tips on installing heat pumps. Early engagement with the Distribution Network Operator, detailed planning and design, close engagement with suppliers, energy monitoring, commissioning and recommissioning were all identified as key to optimising heat pump performance.   

“This isn’t like replacing a gas boiler with a gas boiler,” James said. “System monitoring is absolutely key to ensure that the system continues to perform at its most efficient. It justifies the investment as the client can see what it’s saved in carbon and financially.” 

Internal Energy Consultant Jim Kirby, from the Priory Federation of Academies Trust, shared first-hand experience of decarbonising a series of swimming pool buildings across four schools, partnering with Oakes and Baxi.  

Andy Green, Head of Technical Solutions at Baxi, emphasised the need to understand the building’s energy profile and the school’s goals before designing a solution. He explored the use case of a typical 300-pupil primary school, using simulation software to explore three options – boiler replacement, a hybrid heat pump solution and an all-electric solution. He concluded: “An all-electric approach will deliver higher efficiency but with higher cost. With a marginal increase in energy costs and reduced capital expenditure, a hybrid heat pump solution could be a good early step.”