While the education sector awaits an update on green finance solutions for schools, Neville Radford, specification and sector manager at Baxi, outlines the practical support that the heating and hot water industry can provide to drive education estates towards its ambitious 2030 net zero target.

With the government confirming no further investment in the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme beyond existing Phase 3 and 4 projects, school estate managers may be questioning what steps they can now take on their net zero journey.

There are several steps that can help accelerate heat decarbonisation and improve heating efficiency in the meantime. Here are the key actions:

Understand your usage

A huge grant isn’t always needed to make a sizeable difference. A good starting point is to understand how and where energy is being used in buildings and how well the heating systems are working. This information will make it easier to identify quick wins for immediate energy savings and to set longer-term decarbonisation plans.

Controls can significantly impact comfort and efficiency, yet they are rarely serviced and optimised, which often leads to systems running 24/7 at maximum capacity. A robust control strategy includes accurate time and temperature settings to avoid unnecessary energy use during weekends and holidays.

Where appropriate, adding weather compensation control and zonal heating will ensure that the system adjusts to external temperatures and allows schools to heat only the areas being used.

Draughts could also be an issue. Where budgets permit, estate managers should address the building fabric to prevent heat loss using measures such as insulation or triple glazing and to check the pipework lagging.

Planning for the future

Performing regular surveys to understand the condition of the plant and heating system serving the building will often uncover opportunities for system optimisation and support forward planning. It will also help avoid the rushed, like-for-like replacements that commonly inherit all the inefficiencies of their predecessors.

This, in turn, will make it easier to plot actionable pathways to net zero. After all, the goal is to move away from fossil fuels towards an all-electric heating and hot water system, typically involving low-carbon heat pumps and complemented by renewable technologies like solar PV, solar thermal and batteries.

The reality, however, is that boiler replacements are still a popular option in schools for system refurbishments. Where heat pumps are not currently viable, upgrading to modern condensing models can still deliver valuable efficiency gains of up to 20%.

If this is the chosen route, schools are encouraged to use this opportunity to prepare the system for future heat pump integration. A practical measure would be to address the system’s distribution pipework and heat emitters to allow the system to operate at a maximum flow temperature of 55°C (or lower) in line with building regulations. This will make it heat-pump-ready while enabling the condensing boiler and water heaters to work in condensing mode for optimal system efficiency.

Hybrid approach

Where an all-electric system is not possible, a hybrid approach might be a feasible next step as an early stage of decarbonisation. Integrating an air source heat pump (ASHP) with existing gas-fired boilers and/or water heaters will allow a large portion of the heat in the school building to be decarbonised while meeting safe operation requirements.

As such, it may provide a more practical option in schools with more complex refurbishment challenges. While this would leave some reliance on gas, these technologies can be swapped out at a later stage, such as when new green finance solutions become readily available.

 Baxi’s research report

Looking at decarbonising heat in schools,  school leaders highlighted a need for further technical advice to achieve heat decarbonisation ambitions and boost heating efficiency.

With decades of experience in providing heating and hot water solutions from its wide product portfolio, Baxi looks forward to working with consultant engineers and contractors to help school estate managers in achieving their sustainability goals. From advising on quick wins to supplying pre-contract design support to determine decarbonisation roadmaps to providing service packages for ongoing maintenance, there is a solution available to every school building across the nation.

Source: www.baxi.co.uk/commercial/education