Westmorland and Furness Council has been awarded a £370,000 grant from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) to carry out energy assessments at 69 schools under its responsibility.
The funding, provided through Salix, aims to help the council progress towards its goal of achieving net zero emissions.
The assessment will involve detailed studies of energy use in each council-owned school to identify opportunities for improvements.
The focus will be on increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and finding ways to lower energy costs.
The final report will propose measures such as improved insulation and the introduction of renewable energy sources to make the schools more sustainable.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Assets, said: “We have 69 schools and we are concerned about the need to reduce the amount of carbon emitted from them.
“We spend £4.3 million every year on maintenance and this study will allow us to understand the scale of funding needed to upgrade them for the benefit of pupils, staff and the environment when assessing funding opportunities.”
