Sustainable Schools

How Tomson Consulting helped a Council's Journey to Net Zero

 

 Jenna Barnard

Energy efficiency, heat decarbonisation, renewable energy, heat pump suitability

Client: Confidential

 

 

 

 

 

A classroom with green chairs and white desks arranged in rows, reflecting a modern learning environment.

The Brief

Tomson Consulting (TCL) worked with a County Council over the course of 3 months to deliver heat decarbonisation plans for 42 schools. The aim of the project was to assess the current energy use of schools and identify energy efficient solutions that could reduce the schools' carbon footprints and energy bills. TCL also assessed the viability of implementing a heat pump at each school. To achieve this, Tomson Consulting conducted site visits to and produced a heat decarbonisation site report for each school. 

 

 

Areas

Net Zero Planning

 

Opportunites

  • Potential for energy reduction from behavioural changes and optimisation of heating controls. 
  • Potential for energy efficiency measures such as LED lighting, secondary glazing, roof insulation, wall insulation and draught proofing. 
  • Potential to reduce the carbon intensity of heating schools using low carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps. The potential energy, cost, and carbon savings from switching the heating system to a heat pump were calculated for each site. 
  • Potential to reduce energy bills by installing solar PV and improving efficiency of heating and hot water systems. Tomson Consulting worked closely with the County Council to ensure that the solutions proposed in the reports were both practical and financially viable. 
  • Potential for education of key staff in the council and at schools around energy reduction and carbon management.  
  • Potential to obtain funding for various measures through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.  

Challenges

  • The schools comprised a wide range of building ages and types, including original Victorian school houses that may need more work doing to make them suitable for heat pumps. 
  • The rural setting meant that many schools relied on oil fuelled boilers which have higher emissions. 
  • Some of the school's heating systems were beyond their servicable lifetimes and in urgent need of replacement. 
  • In some locations, the electricity connection could be a constraint of electric heating systems. 

 

 

Outcomes

 

A decarbonisation plan was created for each school with an appraisal of energy efficiency opportunities, and outline sizing and costing for a heat pump. 

 

A final report was created to summarise the findings of the 42 site reports and suggest methods for prioritising which schools should be considered for heat pumps. 

This work has gone on to inform stage 2 of the project, where a selection of schools will be taken forward for detailed heat pump design work. 

 

 

 

Following completion of the project, the client provided the following feedback:

Faye and Jenna from Tomson Consulting were really great to work with on our decarbonisation plans for schools. From the initial meeting to the completion of the project they were approachable and extremely knowledgeable in their area of work. Communication was great and any feedback we had was taken on board. The project was completed on time, on budget and to a high standard.

Thank you Tomson Consulting.

 

 

 

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