Students are key to driving net zero ambition at their school

Pupils at St Andrews RC High School in Fife will benefit from a warmer learning environment thanks to a Scottish Government grant scheme

More than 800 students aged between 12 to 18 will soon be learning in an environment that is not only more comfortable, but also more sustainable thanks to an ambitious green scheme.

Run by Fife Council, the Kirkaldy school educates around 880 students during their formative years as they prepare for further education and adulthood. 

The school, which originally opened in 1959, serves the areas of East and North Fife, from Lochgelly to St Andrews. It is one of two council-owned sites to receive green upgrades thanks to funding through Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund. 

The project across both sites supports the council’s ambition to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2045.

Most of the heavier works were progressed during the summer holidays to minimise disruption, with the project is due to fully come a close to by mid-2025. 

Jonathan Coppock, council lead professional net zero, said: “The solar array on the main school building has been installed and we’re now looking ahead to completing the final measures over the coming months.

“Alongside insulation measures, we’re particularly excited to install our new, zero direct emissions systems, which will offer a sustainable solution to keep classrooms warm.”  

The project will remove half of the fossil fuel boilers previously used for heating and hot water at the school and replace these with zero direct emission air source heat pumps.

Windows that previously had single glazing are also being upgraded to double glazing and upgrades are being installed through the pipework and controls that will connect heating and hot water to the new heat pumps.

Additionally, solar panels have been installed on the roof of the main school building which will help to offset some of the additional electrical load required to run the heat pumps.

It’s expected that measures will save the school 302 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. A 302-tonne reduction in annual carbon emissions is equivalent to the average emission equivalent of 48 UK households of carbon absorption capability of 13,727 trees*.

With the final milestones and measures set to install in 2025, the council is also planning to meet with students and staff to discuss the upgrades and showcase the impact they will have to reduce carbon emissions.

Jonathan added: “We plan to hold workshops with the school towards the end of the project, covering what we’ve installed and the reasons behind the move to low carbon heating.”

As works took place in the holidays in October, drone footage captured by contractor Alternative Heat Ltd showcased works in progress with a birds-eye view. 

In the footage, which can be seen below, workers can be seen on site installing solar panels on the roof of the main school building, while a variety of other works are progressing alongside. 

Jonathan added: “Since the drone footage was taken, the solar installation has been completed and all external pipe trenches reinstated.

“Now, work is moving ahead quickly in the plantrooms and we expect the air source heat pumps to arrive on site in a couple of weeks’ time.”

Zoe Hurst, our programme coordinator who has been supporting the council, said: “The footage is a true visual showcase of the scale of the work being completed and demonstrates the complexities and interdependencies between elements.

“Fife Council have made some fantastic progress and we look forward to continuing to support these important works through to completion.”

You can read more about the project vision for both sites – St Andrews High School and Beacon Leisure centre – through an earlier news story on our website.

About Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund

• Launched in July 2023, Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund made grant funding available for projects to decarbonise heating systems by replacing them with zero direct emissions systems. 
• It also includes funding for retrofit energy efficiency measures to support the overall decarbonisation of heat in buildings. 
• The scheme will deliver funding to successful applicants for projects due to complete by the end of financial year 2024/25. 
• We expect to publish a full list of successful applicants later this summer.
• You can read more about the scheme through our website.

*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.