Intelligent heating systems provide more comfortable classrooms for East Sussex pupils

How sustainability upgrades are improving the learning environment for hundreds of children in south east England.

Six state primary schools in East Sussex will soon provide warmer, more comfortable learning environments for children thanks to a sustainability scheme driven by the county council.

East Sussex County Council, which runs the schools, has set an ambitious target to reach net zero ‘as soon as possible’ with an overarching deadline aligning with the UK government goal of 2050. There are 100 council run schools across the county including 92 primary and eight secondary schools. Upgrades at three of the schools – Chiddingly, Plumpton and Bodiam – are already complete. 

We were on site at three other schools – Rocks Park, Rotherfield and Hellingly – during the summer holidays to see first-hand the intensive installation works. During our visit, we met with council and school representatives as well as contractors, who were excited to discuss the anticipated outcomes of the scheme for staff and pupils.

Alexander Pierre-Fallman, our client support officer, who is working with the council, said: “It was great to visit the schools and see the progress of the works, which are now nearing completion. 

“It was also fantastic to meet with the knowledgeable and passionate individuals driving the works and to discuss the positive difference the project will have for staff and pupils across the county.”

Located across East Sussex, the schools collectively support more than 900 pupils aged from five to 11. 

Projects at all locations centre around the removal of old fossil fuel boilers used for heating and hot water. These will be replaced with low-emission air source heat pumps.

Supporting measures to cut heat loss have been introduced to all sites through insulation and ventilation upgrades. 

To support the £4.4 million project, the council was awarded £1 million in grant funding through Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. We delivered the funding for this scheme on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Council energy and carbon reduction manager Janette Ackroyd said: "The intelligent modern control system only provides heat where it is needed, so if one area receives natural heat from sunlight the heating will switch off earlier than in say a north facing part of the building.  This is a change from the inefficient systems that simply switch on and off at set times.” 

Hellingly Primary School business manager Diane Cole said: “The upgrades will put us on a level playing field with new schools.  The previous system was taking so much of our budget – it was so old and so inefficient. It’s going to make a massive difference.”

Across all six schools, upgrades are anticipated to reduce annual energy bills by £8,800 and carbon emissions by 135 tonnes of carbon a year. A 135 tonne reduction in carbon emissions is equivalent to the annual carbon absorbed by 6,125 trees or a per-passenger flight distance of 67,375 miles – enough to get you from London to Perth, Australia seven times*. 

The council also expects the upgrades will have a positive influence on the learning environment and education outcomes for children. Assembly presentations involving the children are planned from autumn onwards.

Janette added: “The new ventilation system will improve indoor air quality and aid cognitive function, without the need to open windows and lose heat.”

The project builds upon other council-driven works which were awarded funding through both Phase 1 and Phase 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, as well as the England Recycling Fund loan scheme. Since 2008, the council has continued to use lessons learned from more than 260 energy saving projects to consistently improve its delivery programme.

Janette added: "We have learned so much since our pilot heat decarbonisation project in 2021 and are delighted to see carbon emissions slashed by 60% following these type of works."

Alexander Pierre-Fallman, our client support officer, said: “I look forward to working with the council as it completes these important projects to further reduce its carbon emissions and improve these vital community spaces for those that use them.”

* Carbon calculations have been generated through a tool created by our carbon and technical experts here at Salix. The intention is to provide carbon savings estimates to aid with a common understanding of emission data and statistics. These estimates are approximate it is not recommended to use this tool for formal carbon emissions analysis. The tool uses UK government conversion factors alongside emissions estimates sourced from various studies, but it is possible a margin of error may exist. For more information about the formulas and methodology used in this tool, please contact us at [email protected]. E&OE.

About the England Recycling Fund

The England Recycling Fund is a loan-based, ring-fenced fund, created with capital provided on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero through Salix, and matched by the public sector organisation. It encourages organisations to re-invest financial savings that result from projects into further decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects, thus operating in a cyclic “recycled” manner. 

The scheme has been closed to new applications since 2010. However, since that time we have continued to support organisations with open funds to complete thousands of projects worth more than £267 million through the scheme. 

The average fund has been recycled more than three times, and, when combined, our recycling fund projects save over 296,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every single year.

The fund is closing at the end of the 2024/25 financial year, with any projects funded through the scheme required to complete by 31 March 2025.