Grants give green energy upgrades
Royal Borough: Five schools will benefit from funding to cut carbon emissions
Five schools in the Royal Borough will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades to lower their carbon emissions.
The council has been successful in securing £1.5million in funding from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for the work at the schools.
Oakfield First School and Alexander First School in Windsor, and Braywood First School in Oakley Green, are among the venues to benefit from the upgrades, along with Boyne Hill Infant School and Courthouse Junior School in Maidenhead.
These schools all use oil-fired boilers which are both carbon intensive and more expensive to run, the Royal Borough said.
It added that upgrades are due to be completed at all schools by March.
Work includes installation of air or ground source heat pumps; solar panels; double glazing and insulation.
The Royal Borough recently adopted its Environment and Climate Strategy, which sets the borough a target of reducing its emissions to net zero by 2050 at the latest.
Councillor Donna Stimson, cabinet member for climate action and sustainability at the council, said: “Schools are responsible for more than 40 per cent of our carbon emissions as a council and, therefore, it’s imperative that we invest and work with school leaders to reduce their environmental impact.
“This project will go towards
reducing those emissions and make an important contribution towards our Environment and Climate Strategy.
“Not only will the work help lower the schools’ carbon footprint and with their day-to-day energy costs, the installation of solar panels at the majority will help them generate their own renewable energy supporting them on their journey towards a more sustainable future.
“The upgrades will also mean more comfortable learning environments for pupils with improved insulation and better heating systems making them better places to work and study.”