£1.2m worth of sustainable solutions installed at Parrs Wood High School, thanks to support from E.ON Control Solutions

The school’s ‘CO2 Sustainability Team’, which searches for new ways to drive down the school’s carbon emissions, joined forces with ECS three years ago, with ECS carrying out an energy audit to identify measures that could help the school achieve its energy efficiency goals.

As part of the relationship, ECS helped the school apply for government funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), resulting in a £1.2 million grant being secured to help make the school more sustainable.

The funding has enabled the school to undertake a series of improvements, all of which have been fully managed and installed by ECS, including:

• a new hybrid heating system which replaced the school’s aging and inefficient gas-fired boilers with brand new air source heat pumps
• roof-mounted solar panels
• new windows, doors, and internal wall insulation on the school’s sixth form building
• upgraded lighting across the school’s premises, including its now LED-lit sports pitch

The project is expected to save the school almost 213 tonnes of carbon and £154k on their energy bills annually.

Matt Brown, Managing Director of E.ON Control Solutions, said: “At E.ON, we believe it’s on us to make new energy work, and that means working with our customers at home, in businesses, and within their communities to deliver real change as we work to meet our nation’s net zero goals.

“I’m proud of the relationship our team has built with the pupils and teachers at Parrs Wood, and of what we’ve achieved together. This is a fantastic example of how a shared passion for sustainability, a combined sense of purpose, and a single-minded vision can lead to profound results for years to come.”

Chris Baker, Science Teacher at Parrs Wood High School, said: “Our partnership with ECS has been a great stepping stone for students to go on into sustainability-related industries. I’ve had students come back and see me now, who are at university, or who’ve graduated, and they're actually working for companies developing solar PV and other sustainable technologies.

“This work has had a positive impact for the comfort of our school, the affordability of our bills, and for our students who have worked with ECS to deliver lasting benefits for the school and its surrounding community.”

E.ON Control Solutions is a leading provider of Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS), controlling and monitoring building services within the commercial, public, IT, residential, retail and pharmaceutical sectors.

Its services include small to major project installations, site support services, energy management solutions and data analytics, while its control systems are designed to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in building performance to improve sustainability, reduce energy costs and minimise operational expenditure.