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Schools climate action guide and template

Decarbonisation

A key part of a plan is reducing your carbon emissions. This is called decarbonisation. The goal is to do this entirely and become 'carbon neutral'. Carbon emissions are created by heating the school and using electricity which uses fossil fuels. Reducing them can be done by replacing fossil fuel energy sources with low-carbon ones.

Lowering emission can be done in different ways. You can:

  • replace fossil fuels with low-carbon alternatives. Such as replacing gas boilers with heat pumps
  • install renewable energy such as solar panels
  • improve energy efficiency by upgrading lighting to LED lighting

These actions will also help your school reduce energy bills and improve air quality. There are a number of small and achievable actions your school can take in the first instance. Such as by making your school as energy efficient as possible. It is recommended that these actions are carried out before larger retrofit projects.

Make your school as energy efficient as possible by:

  • turning the thermostat down
  • using a building management system to control energy use and training staff how to use it
  • insulating the fabric of the building
  • installing renewable energy such as solar panels
  • replacing fossil fuel boilers with low-carbon alternatives such as heat pumps