VIEWS & OPINION


Educating education – the net zero challenges facing the sector


Comment by DREW HIRD, Building Consultancy Director at Eric Wright Partnerships


In net zero terms, 2050 is not very far away.


As part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement, which is centred around a pledge to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the UK has set a target to transition to a carbon neutral economy by the halfway point of this century. Notable progress has been made over several decades, with emissions cut by 44% between 1990 and


2019, but the reality remains that the country needs to accelerate its decarbonisation progress much more quickly.


Indeed, if the UK is to have any chance of reaching its net zero 2050 target, decarbonisation of the current building stock is essential – this is especially the case given that 80% of the buildings which will line our streets in 2050 are already standing.


Schools represent a significant part of the UK’s current building stock. According to the Carbon Trust, they account for roughly 2% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and 15% of emissions produced by the public sector.


The ability of the education sector to decarbonise will undoubtedly play an important role in determining the success of the UK’s journey to net zero. From making estates more energy efficient and tapping into renewable sources of power to adopting circular economy policies and encouraging sustainable behaviour among communities, there are many important ways in which schools can positively contribute.


Education, education, education


However, reaching net zero in the education sector is no straightforward task. Unfortunately, it is riddled with challenges. The first involves educating the educators. On the whole, there is a lack of expertise and training in this area for a number of reasons, not least because most training for headteachers and school leaders is, quite understandably, centred around the needs of their school. Indeed, when it comes to managing risk within school budgets, there is also a lack of understanding of the wider commercial and legal options that could unlock financial access to net zero related projects.


This means that schools are potentially missing out on important net zero information, funding opportunities and chances to learn from broader schemes which other schools may already be participating in. Put simply, school leaders cannot onboard with projects that they do not know exist or have insufficient knowledge in how to align their schools to them.


Money talks


That said, accessing commercial expertise does come with a cost in and of itself, and as we all know in these strained economic times, budgets are extremely tight.


Even before the crisis in Ukraine unfolded early last year, inflation 22 www.education-today.co.uk


was beginning to bite. Schools have been faced with higher costs across a whole range of important spend areas for quite some time, including energy, food, transportation and equipment, with delicate situations over increasing staff salaries also impacting budget decision making.


As a result, investment into net zero projects is at risk of being side- lined. Already we are seeing schools turn to a more phased approach to ease the pressure on bottom lines, where progress towards decarbonisation has slowed and momentum is being lost. Budget constraints aside, many education institutions do not have the operating models or opportunities to pursue a net zero agenda, but in some cases, opportunities are being missed. Through the government-backed Smart Export Guarantees (SEG) scheme, a school with the capacity to generate low carbon electricity and supply some of it to the national grid has the potential to earn money back or provide an income to an investment partner. However, these investment opportunities are generally being leveraged to fund offshore windfarms – here, multi-academy trusts could utilise their economies of scale to kickstart a school-based renewable energy generating revolution by installing solar panels across their estates.


How can schools get on board with net zero? This is just one approach that could help schools on the way to net zero. However, for many, this sort of ambitious endpoint will seem a long way off. For schools unsure on where to begin, achieving buy-in is an essential first step to take before any grand plans are drawn up and explored.


A good place to start is to sign up to associations of like-minded schools and stakeholders such as Let’s Go Zero. Established to unite schools up and down the country, Let’s Go Zero is a community of ambitious, forward-thinking schools all aiming for a better, fairer, zero carbon future.


Joining such a group not only demonstrates aspiration, but also grants access to a key forum for sharing experiences and planning resources, helping to plug the net zero education gap that has been holding schools back to this point.


In terms of funding, schools can explore both public and private avenues. In the public sphere, local authorities have net zero targets that they need to work towards, meaning many are likely to be interested in working with the education sector to explore financing options.


Corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) are another option. These have become a popular choice for organisations looking to decarbonise their operations – for schools, CPPAs also offer budget certainty as they typically cover a period of five to 20 years with the option to fix per unit prices (often at a discount). Meanwhile, from a practical standpoint, there is no requirement for the generation of energy to be close to the site of a school, making it an accessible way of taking a step towards net zero. More broadly, schools should consider tapping into the commercial world, not only from a potential financing perspective but also to acquire knowledge on the net zero sector and generate a better understanding of what is available.


By accessing specialist knowledge, school leaders will be able to make better informed judgements about what is best for their schools as they embark on their net zero journeys.


February 2023


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