Energy-saving technology to save Corby and Kettering schools £1m

The Brooke Weston Trust, which has 10 schools in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire, has teamed up with Ormiston Academies Trust to secure a £800,000 loan to fund the project.

It is the first time two academy trusts have worked together on a joint energy bid and it is something that could be rolled out to other academy trusts across the country.

The loan from the Education and Skills Funding Agency will help the trusts to reduce its buildings’ CO2 emissions and bring about long-term cost savings.

Beanfield Primary School and Brooke Weston Academy in Corby have had more than 4,000 LED lamps fitted, which are forecast to save 390,000 kWh.

The schools, along with Corby Business Academy and Kettering Science Academy, will also have solar panels fitted.

A total of 350kW of solar panels across the trust’s schools should yield over 300,000kWh of electricity each year for the next 25 years, saving more than £1m after the loan has been repaid.

Matt Isherwood, Brooke Weston Trust’s estates director, said: “This is the first project of its kind where two academy trusts have joined forces to submit a joint funding and installation bid, enabling us to get better deals from suppliers as we had more buying power when compared to a single trust.

“All the works are due for completion by March 31, 2018. The project has been so successful that it could be replicated across other multi academy trusts and we will be outlining the process, benefits and savings at the Trust Network Conference, attended by delegates from more than 100 multi academy trusts, at Corby Business Academy on Wednesday, April 11.”