Embracing new green technologies is a great way to cut expenditure while promoting to pupils and the wider community the importance of protecting the planet. But when implementing these technologies costs so much to start with, schools may wonder: is there a more economical alternative? Yes, says Darren Riva, and schools won’t have to compromise on quality.
Energy use in school buildings accounts for nearly half of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in council-owned buildings in the UK. Implementing energy efficiency measures will not only help schools reduce their environmental impact on their communities, it will also yield them significant cost savings. The financial incentives in particular make for a strong argument for improving energy efficiency, since schools, as with other public sector organisations, are operating under increasing budget pressure as energy prices continue to rise.
Cutting costs where it counts
Non-domestic electricity prices have almost tripled in the last decade – from an average of 3.87 pence per kWh in 2004 to 10.01 pence per kWh in 2014 – while non-domestic gas prices have also doubled, reaching a total of 2.92 pence per kWh last year. In order to contain running costs, schools are increasingly keen to explore different energy-savings options and to leverage the latest technologies to help cut down energy consumption. To take things further, forward-thinking schools are even starting to adopt a cleaner energy portfolio by generating their own renewable energy, a trend that is driven by the introduction of government financial support programmes, such as the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Feed-in Tariffs.
Many schools are focusing their energy management policy on areas of energy consumption where there is the greatest potential for slashing costs. Heating, for example, can account for half of the school’s energy costs, followed by lighting and hot water. Since so many old boilers running on fossil fuels have been installed for decades, they are increasingly being replaced by biomass boilers operating with higher efficiency rates.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) is another highly popular renewable energy technology, converting sunlight into electricity, which can then be used to subsidise the school’s own electricity consumption. Given the relentless rise of electricity prices, this certainly provides a crucial argument for the investment decision. Since a solar PV system has an average lifespan of 25 years, the installation of the technology can also ensure long-term cost savings.