Becoming heat efficient Leven Valley in the Lake District National Park has become the first Primary School

The funding received by Leeds City Council will means that innovative heating technologies such as heat pumps – which extract low carbon warmth from the air or ground – will be installed at thirty two primary schools and council buildings to use interest-free funding from Salix to install a ground source heat pump, transforming its heating infrastructure. Over the last decade, the school has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its estate, creating a sustainable, heat-efficient environment and preparing for the decarbonisation of heat. As part of the school’s carbon reduction strategy, sustainable and natural building materials were maximised where possible, allowing the building to be transformed into a warm and welcoming learning environment. Despite the old building structure, the school also adopted a series of energy efficient measures in order to continue with the delivery of its carbon strategy. Steps included replacing insulation, adopting solar PV (Photovoltaic) and LED lighting, and installing a ground source heat pump (GSHP.) Leven Valley has used funding from Salix Finance to upgrade its heating system from an oil-based system to a 30.12kW borehole ground source heat pump (GSHP). In this case, a GSHP was the most robust, long-term approach for minimising carbon emissions and was an ideal replacement for the school’s oil-based heating system. This ground source heat pump project is expected to save Leven Valley an

Energy

delighted to have been allocated more than £25 million from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. “Upgrading dozens of schools and council buildings to be fit for the future mean that we’ll be able to spend less on fossil fuel energy, and more on protecting vital frontline services. “This investment will also protect and create hundreds of skilled green jobs in local businesses, jobs that will be increasingly important as we work to build a sustainable economic recovery.” Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainable Development said: “This announcement is great news for the environment and good news for Leeds. “We’re on track to halve our own emissions by 2025 and by the end of the year, some of our most historic buildings will soon become our greenest. “More than a dozen primary schools will also benefit from this funding – paying less for energy so that they can spend more instead on educating the next generation.” Steve Wilkinson, Head of Commercial Projects for Cenergist said: “Cenergist are delighted to partner with Leeds City Council to deliver this ambitious programme of decarbonisation projects. Decarbonisation of heat represents one of the biggest challenges for local authorities to overcome to achieve net zero targets, and through our extensive experience we are able to support Leeds City Council delivering a range of heat decarbonisation measures including Air Source Heat Pumps and water efficiency improvements.”

estimated £5,110 per year and reduce carbon emissions by 77 per cent. Ian Nicol, head teacher at Leven Valley Church of England Primary School, said: “We are a very small school… but I hope you can see that we think big and act green. The buildings have become part of our educational ethos, values and provision and work in sympathy with our location within the Lake District National Park.” Leven Valley’s holistic approach to energy efficiency allows a smooth transition to achieving a low carbon future and the savings made can be reinvested into further energy efficiency projects or resources for the school such as learning materials. Sinead Desmond, programme manager at Salix, said: ‘We’re delighted to see Leven Valley implementing so many carbon reduction measures and we’re pleased to have been able to support them with the delivery of multiple energy-saving technologies. The school is another great example of how public sector organisations across the UK are leading the way to a sustainable future.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.salixfinance.co.uk www.gov.uk

Issue 26.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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