£4.3m energy saving upgrades to benefit Leeds primary schools and council buildings

Air source heat pumps, solar photovoltaic panels and insulation will be installed in 10 council buildings including children’s centres and primary schools over the next year.

The upgrades will help to cut the council’s energy usage to further reduce the impact of soaring energy prices on council budgets, whilst also helping to shrink the city’s annual carbon footprint by around 640 tonnes.

Once completed in 2023, the new upgrades are expected to help the council save more than 3,290,000 kwh of gas and generate over 373,000 kwh of renewable electricity every year.

It follows a completed £25 million upgrade programme that saw more than 7.500 solar panels and 61 heat pumps installed across 40 council-owned buildings over the past year.

The newly announced building decarbonisation programme will complement plans approved earlier this year to counter the rising cost of energy bills paid by the council due, in large part, to the global impact of increased gas prices.

Leeds City Council’s recently approved Energy Strategy includes an aim to supply all the electricity used by the local authority from secure, zero carbon sources by 2030.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate, said:

“It is brilliant to see even more investment in essential green upgrades that will help Leeds to reduce its carbon emissions.

“It’s even more welcomed at a time of increased pressure on energy budgets. Key public facilities including primary schools and children’s centres will benefit from cheaper energy bills, enabling them to spend more on valuable community services and education.”

The £4.3 million grant funding for the new programme was secured by the council from Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme administered by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.