Hexham Member of Parliament, Guy Opperman visited Stamfordham Primary School on 4th November 2022 to see a significant sustainable investment in the Northumberland school.
In the first phase of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), Northumberland County Council was awarded £3,012,580 by central government to decarbonise heating systems in several buildings, including Stamfordham Primary School that has benefited from investment in a ground source heat pump system.
During the summer holiday break of 2021, the old heating system was removed and replaced with a new one. Six boreholes were drilled under the school car park that will act as a renewable heating source for the next 100 years.
The highly efficient, low-carbon ground source heat pumps offer a sustainable solution to keep students and teachers comfortable and warm in their learning spaces throughout the school day.
Guy Opperman’s visit to Stamfordham Primary School took place ahead of COP27 which was held between 6th and 18th November 2022 in Egypt and aimed to creating a platform for world leaders to meet and discuss how the world tackles climate change.
The Hexam MP saw the first-hand effects of the new heating system and the benefits of low-carbon technology. He was joined by Stuart Gadsden, Commercial Director of Kensa Contracting who designed and installed the heat pump system, Northumberland County Council and the Headteacher of Stamfordham Primary School, Lynsey Briddock.
Kensa’s Innovation Lead, Dr. Amy Featherstone gave a presentation to Year 4 pupils from Standfordham Primary School about the importance of tackling climate change and achieving net zero targets.
Guy Opperman MP said:
“I was delighted to visit Stamfordham Primary School and meet with Lynsey and the team. Tackling climate change is vital and it was great to see an example of local investment in ground source heat pumps.
It was great speaking with the Year 4 pupils about the importance of tackling climate change and getting to Net Zero emissions. A huge thank you to Northumberland County Council and Kensa Contracting for all their work installing the new heating system.”
Stuart Gadsden, Commercial Director at Kensa Contracting, comments:
“It’s been great working with Northumberland County Council to replace the old heating system at Stamfordham Primary School with efficient and reliable ground source heat pumps to help keep students and teachers warm and comfortable.
Ground source heat pumps produce no point of use emissions, so by installing this renewable heating system Stamfordham Primary has reduced its carbon footprint, helping to tackle climate change – something it also educates its students about.
This is a great example of how local authorities can capitalise on government funding to decarbonise public sector buildings like schools, helping them to get the most value and efficiency from their properties while knowing they are having a positive impact on the environment and the health of their local communities.”
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said:
“I’m thrilled to see this work come into fruition. Installing low carbon heat systems such as this is a huge step towards our target of making Northumberland a carbon neutral county by 2030.
I know a lot of hard work has gone into decarbonising our public buildings and I would like to say a huge thank you to Kensa for helping Northumberland become a cleaner and greener place to live and work.
But, we know there is still a lot of work to be done and I’m excited to see what new and innovative technologies we can utilise in the future.”
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