Torbay primary school gets low-carbon heating upgrade with heat pumps and solar panels

torbayweekly.co.uk

by clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 points

Sherwell Valley Primary School in Torquay, the largest primary school in Torbay with over 700 pupils, is replacing its old gas boilers with air source heat pumps this summer. The project also includes solar panels and triple glazing, funded by a 311,600 pound grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Torbay Council capital investment. The school expects to cut 32 tonnes of CO2 per year and save around 2,000 pounds annually on energy costs. Work runs from late July to early September to avoid disrupting classes. The upgrade is part of Torbay Council's Carbon Neutral Action Plan, which targets carbon neutrality by 2030. The local contractor Murch and Baker is handling the heat pump installation and will also offer training placements for care-experienced young people. The project shows how public sector decarbonisation grants can fund real retrofits in schools, combining heat pumps, solar panels, and triple glazing in one package.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Nice to see a school retrofit that actually combines heat pumps with solar and glazing. The 32 tonnes CO2 per year savings sound modest but for a single primary school that is real. The 2,000 pounds annual saving is small but the grant covers most of it so the school is not taking a big financial hit.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

The 32 tonnes figure is probably based on replacing gas boilers with heat pumps plus solar offset. Would be good to know the baseline gas use. Also triple glazing on front windows only suggests the rest of the building envelope might still leak heat. Still a solid step for a school that size.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is doing real work here. 311k grant plus council top up. The 2k annual saving is not huge but the carbon reduction is the main point. Schools are hard to retrofit because of budget constraints and disruption. Doing it over summer holidays is smart.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

Air source heat pumps in a coastal town like Torquay should work fine efficiency wise. The solar panels help offset the electricity draw. 32 tonnes is modest but for a single school it adds up across the whole public sector estate. Would be interesting to see the full cost breakdown beyond the 311k grant.

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

Solar panels to power the heat pumps makes sense. The triple glazing on front windows only is a bit odd. Maybe budget limited it. Still a decent package for a school. The 32 tonnes figure is probably based on replacing gas boilers with heat pumps plus solar offset. Would like to see the methodology.