A sticking plaster for energy in schools

The Department for Education’s announcement in December 2022 of £500m for schools to reduce their energy use falls far short of the funding needed for a nationwide retrofit programme to reduce costs and emissions, says schools climate campaign Let’s Go Zero.

The campaign, which is supporting schools to become zero carbon by 2030, is calling for government funding to retrofit every school in the country to ensure they stop leaking heat, carbon emissions and money.

Alex Green, programme manager at Let’s Go Zero, said: “While we welcome the government’s recognition that schools and colleges are facing a tough winter and need help managing their skyrocketing energy bills, we must be clear that this is merely a sticking plaster when a long-term solution is desperately needed. To really solve the problem, the government needs to commit to adapting and retrofitting every school in the UK. Without a comprehensive fix, we will be doomed to repeat these piecemeal measures every winter.”

Find out more at letsgozero.org