A new report from the TUC is calling for UK school buildings to be made energy efficient and fit for the future.
The report looks at the current spending on schools through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), and estimates how much more investment is needed.
It follows elemental’s own webinar on creating zero-carbon schools, which also highlighted the need for more funding in order to cut carbon in schools.
A fifth of all PSDS funding to date (£335 million) has benefited schools, showing huge demand from schools to improve energy efficiency. But the TUC report says the funding available still falls far short of what’s needed.
Funding allocated through PSDS so far represents just 3% of UK schools’ total need for retrofits. And the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy suggested last week that even this funding may be cut.
Schools typically need between £300,000 and £700,000 in repairs (based on data for England). And more than 80% of schools still have deadly asbestos present in buildings, much of which could be safely removed while retrofitting for energy efficiency.
The House of Commons Library estimates that school energy bills have risen by 93% in the past year. And some schools have reported energy bills rising by tens of thousands of pounds, stretching resources that they want to allocate directly to education.
The report shows that there is an opportunity to save schools money, help reach net zero, and create thousands of good quality jobs by measures like installing insulation, draughtproofing, and mechanical ventilation. Retrofits would also help classrooms stay cool in summer heatwaves.
The report recommends a retrofitting programme with £13.5bn of government investment over ten years, creating 42,000 construction jobs and cutting 1.2 million tonnes of annual CO2 emissions. The programme should:
- Be delivered by local authorities to maximise economies of scale.
- Engage school staff and students in the design of individual retrofit projects.
- Use the opportunity to remove asbestos from buildings.
- Maximise directly-employed labour in construction – to provide good-quality jobs for construction workers, and secure the skills needed for high-quality retrofits.
- Employ a Good Jobs Charter for procurement standards – to ensure good quality employment across supply chains.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We all want the best education for our kids, with schools putting as much as possible directly into teaching and learning.
“But school buildings have been leaking energy for far too long. And with energy costs surging, this is hitting school budgets hard. It would be irresponsible to let this go on when we have the technology to fix it.
“If we invest now to make schools energy efficient, we will save a lot more in the long run. That means more money from school budgets going to education. It means a big cut in carbon emissions. And it means lots of good quality new jobs.”
NEU Joint General Secretary Mary Bousted said: “Current government commitments to upgrade the schools estate as part of the DfE’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy are woefully inadequate. We need a bold plan to urgently retrofit the entirety of the UK education estate to help meet the challenge of climate change and ensure that schools are shielded from sky-high energy bills. Local authorities are the best vehicle to drive this programme in terms of economies of scale and quality assurance and we urge the Government to adopt this proposal.
“Our children will reap the benefits of such an approach. Less money spent on maintenance and energy bills mean more money spent on their education. And witnessing their school becoming more sustainable will be an education in itself, inspiring their future lives.”
NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman said: “For too long the government has underinvested in the school estate. We know from the government’s own estimates that more than £13 billion is needed just to get schools back up to a reasonable state of repair, let alone turn them into the sustainable carbon-zero buildings we need. And – like everyone – schools are facing energy prices spiralling out of control.
“The government should take action now and invest so that schools can be at the forefront of the national sustainability agenda, and to save money on energy bills in the longer term. This report shows examples of schools that have been able to offset the cost of installing solar panels in just five years. This is precisely the sort of project government should be looking to roll out more widely.”
To watch the elemental webinar, visit our Crowdcast channel.
