Lancashire schools to bear brunt of carbon reduction (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Lancashire schools to bear brunt of carbon reduction

3:30pm Monday 25th January 2010 in News By Nafeesa Shan, Reporter

HEADTEACHERS could face costly bills for green measures after it was revealed schools accounted for 53 per cent of the county council's carbon emissions.

Education bosses on Lancashire School’s Forum agreed that every county council school should sign up to the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme.

The decision came after it was revealed that Lancashire County Council faces financial penalties if it did not comply to the scheme.

Education chiefs would have to buy emission permits for every ton of carbon dioxide used but there is only a limited number available.

The fewer permits an authority needs to more money it would save .

Under plans the council, which is the fourth largest education authority in the UK, would be responsible for emissions in all its community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled, foundation schools as well as academies.

The county council has set a target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent by 2013. Council chiefs want schools to reduce their carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2019.

Schools under PFI agreements as part of the Building School for the Future, BSF, Programme are exempt.

There are strategies in the scheme to aid reduction such as energy meters, investing in new boilers, insulation, ensuring the heating does not come on after hours or at weekends.

But the council will carry out an investigation to establish where other savings can be made.

The forum agreed that meter readers which can be read remotely could be fitted in schools to monitor energy consumption and identify savings.

Education bosses have asked schools to request an annual statement from energy suppliers, reduce energy consumption and read meters regularly.

The council is set to register to the scheme in April Chair John Davies said: “The money needs to be used to support the introduction of energy meters. But we must be aware that it would not be economic to put them in all schools themselves.”