Hampshire County Council have had carbon reduction plans approved by the County Council’s Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Human Resources and Performance, Councillor Stephen Reid.
The plans to reduce carbon come from two major projects, with £6.7m being put towards putting solar panels on school buildings and certain council buildings, and another £20.2m funding the improvement of insulation at school and council buildings, with a large focus on replacing old, single-glazed windows with energy-saving double glazing.
The programmes are being funded through central Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which offers 100% funded grants for public sector organisations to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects across their estates.
The schools that have been identified are a range of primary, secondary and SEND schools.
Councillor Stephen Reid said:
“The County Council declared a climate emergency in June 2019 and is committed to mitigating against and building resilience to climate change; bringing carbon emissions in Hampshire down to net zero by 2050.
“By tapping into the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is part of the Chancellor’s ‘Plan for Jobs 2020’ commitment, we can continue to improve energy efficiency and reduce the County Council’s carbon emissions with the added benefit of receiving full funding from Government.
“Together these programmes are expected to save more than 3,600 tonnes of carbon per year and support local schools and the County Council to save on energy bills.”
