THE money a secondary school is expected to save by taking small steps to become more eco-friendly will be pumped back into the curriculum – benefiting more than 1,200 students in Lincoln.
More than 1,600 LED lights are being installed at the North Kesteven Academy – in North Hykeham – during the summer holidays by Lincolnshire-based Greenio, a company that specialises in the installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems.
Once completed, the project will offer savings of over 125,000kg of carbon dioxide per year – saving the school more than £270,000 over the next 15 years, or almost £25,000 annually.
Paul Allison, head of finance at North Kesteven Academy, said: “Our students and 150 members of staff will return to the school in September to a brighter and better working environment.
“It is a pleasure to be working with Greenio as it is a local company that has a great track record of delivering renewable projects, specifically in the education sector in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Our governors instantly gained confidence in Greenio that we would see required savings in what is, for us, the largest one-off project on our site in the last five years – especially at a time when funding for the sector is under great pressure.
“We enjoy some outstanding facilities at North Kesteven Academy and are proud of our breadth of curriculum and the opportunities presented to our students, especially in the performing arts. The money we will save from this project can be ploughed back into building on this.”
Using an innovative funding model, the installation is cost neutral, with the school paying the difference in savings for the duration of a five-year payback period in order to cover the capital cost of the equipment.
Anna Wooster, managing director of Greenio, said: “We have been working with the North Kesteven Academy since the beginning of 2016 so we are looking forward to helping the school take steps to become more eco-friendly over the summer holidays.
“We’d also like to thank Paul Allison for his hard work on what is the biggest project the school has seen over the past five years. He took the scheme on when he first started at the academy over 12 months ago, taking it through the multiple different stages before getting it finalised and signed off by the governors. He has been a big driving force in making this happen, which will have a major benefit to Lincoln pupils for decades to come.
“LED lamps have revolutionised energy-efficient lighting, taking over from incandescent and standard fluorescent tubes. Customers can enjoy the benefits of a system that delivers significant savings in fuel costs and carbon emissions as LEDs consume up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs.
“Schools changing their lightbulbs will always be in a positive position as there are no upfront costs. We have been involved in dozens of educational projects since we started in 2013 and many schools have bought new equipment such as laptops and books with the money they have saved. Others have invested in their staff development and even hired extra members of staff.”
Greenio, based in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, is now starting to work with local councils across the UK to reach out to schools and offer them cost-saving heating and electrical solutions.
Anna added: “Our engineers will be working at North Kesteven Academy throughout the summer holidays, however for previous educational projects, we have worked during term times, including late out-of-hours shifts, to ensure the smoothest transition and ensure no classes are interrupted.”
To learn more about this project, or to find out how you can improve your carbon footprint and save money, contact Greenio on 0800 810 0565.
