Setting Schools on their net-zero pathway

With ambitious government decarbonisation targets to meet and inflated energy prices to mitigate, sustainability is high on the school agenda.

Anne Wraith, Head of Commercial Product Sales at Baxi, discusses the role of heat pumps in the net zero journey and approaches to help schools achieve their goals

Decarbonising heat across all sectors, including education, is central to the government’s strategy for net zero. Ultimately, the goal is to transition to low-carbon technologies such as air source heat pumps (ASHPs). However, while new school buildings will be optimised for net zero and high efficiencies, refurbishing the ageing heating and hot water systems that many existing schools rely on can be a more complex task. A whole range of factors – from the variety of building type to available funding and time constraints – will all influence how quickly and easily refurbishment can be achieved.

Certainly, heat pumps offer a multitude of benefits, but here’s the caveat: they are not a panacea in themselves. For schools to reap the many advantages from optimal heat pump performance, each is likely to need a solution tailored around the individual requirements.

Plan ahead

Where, then, to begin? The immediate aim when refurbishing existing buildings should always be to reduce operational energy usage and heat losses. Understanding where and how energy is being used will help determine any opportunities for improvement and how and where ASHPs can best be used. Taking advantage of the free site surveys that some manufacturers offer can be beneficial at the outset to identify and evaluate the options.

If planning a phased refurbishment project, set immediate, medium and long-term goals that factor in the available time to complete the work and the budget. Take time to investigate any funding opportunities such as the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme as this will make the transition to heat pumps more affordable.

All-electric approach

If possible, consider an all-electric approach. Air source heat pumps can provide a highly efficient, sustainable method of supplying low carbon heating or hot water requirements. We are pleased offer both high and mid temperature ASHPs. With an exceptionally high seasonal co-efficient of performance (SCOP) of up to 400%, they can deliver up to 4kW of heat output for every 1kWh of electricity used to run the heat pump. 

Once the heat pump design is locked in, address the following considerations.

First, electrical connections – is there sufficient capacity? Avoid any delays by notifying the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) immediately and completing the necessary connection application form. 

Next, space. Ensure that sufficient external space is allocated for the heat pump. Contacting your chosen manufacturer at the early stages is advisable on school projects due to fixed nature of project schedules.

Finally, consider including additional renewable technologies such as solar panels as these may enable you to produce all the energy you need to run your heat pump.

Hybrid approach

Where an all-electric solution is not an option, a hybrid system that integrates heat pumps with condensing boilers can provide an effective means of overcoming retrofit challenges.

A well-designed hybrid system will reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption significantly, meeting heat demand more sustainably.

The aim should be to maximise heat pump contribution performance where possible, while taking all project limitations into account. The benefit of working with Baxi from the early stages is that we will be able to provide guidance on these aspects so that the system is designed to maximise the efficiency of both technologies. 

Case in point

A recent example of best practice planning, design and collaboration is the decarbonisation programme implemented by the Priory Federation of Academies Trust at a series of its academies. The carbon reduction initiative targeted the swimming pool buildings, where gas boilers were previously heating the water in the pool and Air Handling Units.

Oakes Energy Services and Baxi collaborated to propose the best solutions at each of the three academies to meet the building requirements.

The proposals developed by Oakes, which illustrate the expected carbon savings, were used to securing funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme operated by Salix. In total, the design of the entire scheme is expected to save 227.5 tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to planting 7,000 trees.

Collaboration is key

While the enormity of the decarbonisation challenge facing the public sector cannot be ignored, inaction is simply not an option. Projects like the programme outlined above illustrate how, by applying careful planning, the heating industry can work with the education sector to tackle the task at hand. Encouraging early collaboration and information sharing, as well as tapping into manufacturers’ valuable experience, will all serve to set schools on their unique pathway to net zero.