Following the announcement of the new Industrial Strategy, the government has highlighted how influential schools are in reaching net zero. Being included in the £1 billion scheme, schools across the country will receive upgrades and maintenance for low carbon systems.

60% of UK school facilities were built before 1976, which makes repairs and renovation essential moving forward. This is no small feat. According to The National Audit Office, it would take approximately £6.7 billion to repair all the deteriorating infrastructure.

Whilst schools are beginning to recover from the pandemic, now is the perfect time to champion a greener future for the education sector. A 2019 survey commissioned by Oxfam found that teachers believe there should be more focus on environmental studies. Councils have taken note of this, granting funds to schools that wish to adopt eco-friendly initiatives. These schools have gone on to see significant environmental and financial benefits.

How are schools becoming green?

In order for schools to become green, there must be a focus on decreasing energy consumption and waste. Although costly, low carbon installations and green tech are helping to move organisations towards a net zero future. There are many different ways to reduce consumption and become more energy efficient. These include:

• Switching to LED lighting
• Updating air conditioning and heating units
• Upgrading to an energy efficient boiler
• Installing solar panels
• Improving insulation

Initiatives such as Eco-Schools allow children to learn about climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Working with more than 20,000 schools around the UK, the initiative aims to have a long term impact on the environment through inspiring and educating children.

The Eco-Schools project allows pupils the chance to grasp environmental studies hands on. Making climate change part of the curriculum. The global initiative has been incorporated into schools in 68 different countries around the world so far. While low carbon technology saves money and time in the short term, educating children on sustainability is crucial in securing a greener future.

What are the results of schools becoming greener?

Nottingham County Council is one of the many regional councils embracing carbon management to lower consumption. Schools in Nottingham are expected to save more than £5.9 million on energy bills. This comes after the council distributed funding amongst the schools in order to install or upgrade low carbon tech.

Mornington Primary School in Nottingham has been able to reduce its electricity consumption by around 21,000 kWh per year. Lowering their consumption this much has seen the school save approximately £2,625 annually. And their carbon footprint has reduced by 10.5 tonnes of CO2 every year. Money saved by the project can then be reinvested in future green projects or dispersed across other sections of the school’s budgets.

Green initiatives not only help to engage staff and pupils with their natural surroundings, they also provide schools with sustainable cost saving solutions.

How can Monarch help?

Most schools face daily tasks of fitting to a tight budget whilst delivering a high quality education for their students. Juggling these monumental responsibilities, with finding the most cost or environmentally effective energy solutions can be near impossible.

At Monarch, we have the expertise to help you on your way to energy efficiency. Our 30+ years of experie nce allow us to provide a market leading service.

For organisations to understand how to become carbon efficient, they must do a thorough audit of current consumption.

After conducting the audit, our team of energy specialists are able to procure an energy contract tailored to you. This will take into account consumption needs whilst simultaneously reducing your overheads.

Get in touch today to hear more about how we can help your organisation become more sustainable.