A clean energy revolution for Tollesbury Primary School

Overview of the challenge

With Essex County Council’s aim for the region to reach net zero carbon by 2030, Tollesbury Primary School faced a considerable challenge. The school operated an outdated oil boiler, which was contributing to extremely high heating bills as well as increased carbon emissions. The boiler needed a significant upgrade for the school to hit its decarbonisation targets.

To help finance its net zero plans, a combined fundraising effort was led by the primary school and local citizen group, The Tollesbury Climate Partnership. This, together with Local Council funding and a Government decarbonisation grant, saw the school reach its target and work was able to begin.

Funds were allocated to upgrading the energy and heating system of the Victorian school buildings. This included:

• 16 double glazed windows (secondary glazed panels)
• 120kW ground source heat pump
• 68kW ground mounted solar panels
• 925m2 of loft / wall insulation
• LED energy saving replacement in classrooms

As Essex County Council’s principal contractor, Mitie was chosen to deliver the project and support the school in meeting their net zero goals.

Our approach

We began with an intensive architectural design and planning phase to deliver a proposal for the scheme. Following its approval, the energy improvements began during the 2023 summer holidays, starting with installing loft insulation. Over the following year, Mitie continued the upgrades which included: double glazing, replacement heat pump-compatible radiators, upgrading to LED lighting and installing solar PV panels capable of producing a peak of 68kW energy.

Perhaps the most significant element of the project was replacing the oil boiler with a ground source heat pump connected to the existing radiator network. This involved drilling 14 x 172m deep boreholes under the playing field during the school holidays to avoid disruption to the students.

During all works, Mitie worked closely with the school to bring the sustainability aspect of the pupils’ curriculum to life. We involved the students in the sustainable plans, allowing them to monitor energy usage and observe the transformation from start to finish. Through seeing the impact for themselves, the children were educated on how to live more sustainably to reduce the impact of climate change. Mitie also engaged with local residents to minimise the construction impact in the vicinity.

“The success of working alongside the contractors (Mitie) in a busy school, is due to good communication. We are thrilled to have progressed the project to this point. We talk a lot about decarbonisation with the children and all the issues around energy and climate change. We want the children to take these messages home to their families and to the wider community. We have grown ever more mindful of the financial benefits of cutting energy costs, taking environmental responsibility, and protecting the future for the next generation.”

The results

The school buildings are now more comfortable to study and work in, providing an excellent educational facility for current and future generations of students. The predicated energy savings are significant, supporting the school in reaching decarbonisation goals.

• Double-glazed windows throughout are predicted to save 25MWh of energy per year.
• Roof insulation is predicted to save 44MWh of energy per year
• Cavity walls, filled with the latest insulating material, are predicted to save 9MWh of energy per year.
• LED lighting has been added throughout and is predicted to save 15MWh of energy per year.

Together, this contributes to a £14,000 projected reduction on energy bills per year – and a 90% expected reduction for the school’s carbon emissions.

In May 2024, Mitie supported Essex County Council in securing grant funding of £1.7m through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for Phase 3B. As a result, Mitie will help decarbonise six more primary schools across the county.

Why choose Mitie?

Mitie creates facilities and services that bring communities together. We do so by delivering exceptional services for the communities in which we work. Our transformational approach is flexible and technology-led, allowing our clients’ budgets to go further.