FINANCE
LEVEN VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL USES SALIX FUNDING TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS BY 77 PER CENT Situated within the Lake District National Park, Leven Valley has become the first Primary School to use interest-free funding from Salix to install a ground source heat pump, transforming its heating infrastructure.
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ver the last decade, the school has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its estate, creating a sustainable, heat-efficient environment and preparing for the decarbonisation of heat. As part of the school’s carbon reduction strategy, sustainable and natural building materials were maximized where possible, allowing the building to be transformed into a warm and welcoming learning environment. Despite the old building structure, the school also adopted a series of energy efficient steps such as replacing insulation, solar PV (Photovoltaic) and LED lighting in order to continue with the delivery of their carbon strategy and install a ground source heat pump (GSHP.) Leven Valley has used funding from Salix Finance to upgrade its heating system from an oil-based system to a 30.12kW borehole ground source heat pump (GSHP). In this case, a GSHP was the most robust, long-term approach for minimising carbon emissions and was an ideal replacement for the school’s oil-based heating system. This ground source heat pump project is expected to save Leven Valley an estimated £5,110 per year and reduce carbon emissions by 77 per cent.
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Ian Nicol, head teacher at Leven Valley Church of England Primary School, said: “We are a very small school… but I hope you can see that we think big and act green. The buildings have become part of our educational ethos, values and provision and work in sympathy with our location within the Lake District National Park.” Leven Valley’s holistic approach to energy efficiency allows a smooth transition to achieving a low carbon future and the savings made can be reinvested into further energy efficiency projects or resources for the school such as learning materials. Sinead Desmond, Programme Manager at Salix, said: ‘We’re delighted to see Leven Valley implementing so many carbon reduction measures and we’re pleased to have been able to
ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JUNE 2021
support them with the delivery of multiple energy-saving technologies. The school is an-other great example of how public sector organisations across the UK are leading the way to a sustainable future.’ Salix provides interest-free funding for schools to reduce energy costs through the installation of energy efficiency technologies. As of March 2020, Salix has invested over £61m in over 3,300 school projects, saving over £12m and 55,700 tonnes of carbon per year. https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/
