Let’s Go Zero responds to to Department for Education’s ‘sticking plaster’ energy efficiency funding
The Department for Education’s announcement 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.
As a stop gap measure before the much-needed retrofit funding is put in place, the Let’s Go Zero campaign is advising schools across the UK on how to cut costs and carbon this winter, from simple interventions such as making sure heating systems and lighting are powered down when the school is not in use or running a switch off the campaign with students.
Over 1,800 schools, colleges and nurseries have joined Let’s Go Zero to show their intent to be zero carbon by 2030. A key action would be to reduce the energy wastage that many schools suffer from as a result of old boiler systems, old draughty properties which leak huge amounts of heat, and lack of funds and capacity to improve energy efficiency.
