EDITOR’S OPINION


Savings for the public purse Chris Jones


Managing editor of Energy in Buildings & Industry


R


epresenting some of the most energy-intensive public buildings, schools and hospitals naturally warrant


some preferential treatment when it comes to any government initiatives to save on energy and reduce carbon emissions. As essential institutions that serve millions daily, these buildings require vast amounts of electricity and heating to operate effectively. Schools typically consume


energy for lighting, heating, cooking, and powering computers and electronic devices, with heating often accounting for over 50% of a school’s energy use. Similarly, hospitals operate around the clock, requiring consistent heating, ventilation, lighting, sterilisation and operation of medical equipment. Hospitals also rely on highly regulated air-conditioning and ventilation systems to maintain sterile environments. The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy


bill of £1.4 billion, a figure that has more than doubled since 2019. One of the primary challenges is that a significant proportion of the UK’s schools and hospitals were built long before modern energy efficiency standards were established. Poor insulation, outdated heating systems, and limited building management technologies result in high energy use and wastage. Upgrading existing systems can also prove problematic as work must commence while buildings continue to operate or projects completed during the limited timetable of school holidays. The installation of solar power is perhaps one of the less disruptive ways to reduce a building’s energy costs. The government estimates that only


Knowledge is power and any research that seeks to provide a more informed analysis of potential hurdles and viable solutions deserves to be taken seriously by decision makers


about 20% of schools and under 10% of hospitals have solar panels installed, a disappointing statistic which it hopes to address by its recent pledge to invest £200 million to install rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 NHS sites. It is claimed that a typical school could save up to £25,000 per year, while the average NHS site could save up to £45,000 per year on annual energy bills if they had solar panels with complementary technologies installed such as batteries. And it goes without saying that most hospital managers and school heads can probably think of much better ways to spend that kind of money. The education estate alone is said to


be responsible for 37% of public sector building emissions, a fact that has prompted the heating manufacturer Baxi to produce a survey that looks to highlight some of the issues that schools face in upgrading to low carbon heating solutions (see news story on page 6 of this month’s issue). Knowledge is power and any research that seeks to provide a more informed analysis of potential hurdles and viable solutions deserves to be taken seriously by our budget holders and decision makers.


It might be a simple lesson, but the


more funds spent on energy bills, the less there will be available for teaching resources and student support.


Contributors to this issue


Andrew Warren


Chair of the British Energy Efficiency Federation


11 Alan Siggins


Managing Director at Airflow


12 Ben Pritchard


26 CEO at AVK-SEG


Tim Mitchell Klima-Therm


27 Sales Director at


Aaron Lally at VEST Energy


29 Managing Partner


Energy in Buildings


& Industry PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY


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