Council’s eco-efficiency scheme helps Sir Harry Smith Community College in Whittlesey save £50,000 on its energy bills

A Whittlesey school has saved £50,000 on its energy bills by joining a county council energy programme.

With the help of solar panels, LED lighting, improved boilers and a new woodchip biomass boiler, Sir Harry Smith Community College has saved 20 per cent on its energy spending since signing up to the council’s energy efficiency programme, which began in 2014.

The project has helped more than 40 local schools save £600,000 collectively and it is championed by county councillor, Josh Schumann.

He said: “Schools have made significant savings on their energy bills through joining this programme. It means they get more control over their energy usage whilst reducing their carbon footprint – and can even generate income.

“I am thrilled to see so many have already signed up to the scheme but we want to encourage even more schools to sign up, and see the benefits of guaranteed energy savings.”

John King, a trustee of the Aspire Learning Trust, Whittlesey, said: “Since the installation of these measures, our energy bills have been cut significantly and we’ve reduced our carbon footprint. It was a big investment and it took a while to complete the works but we ask ourselves, ‘is the investment meeting our needs?’ and ‘was it worthwhile?’

“The answer is a definitive ‘yes!”