Monmouthshire Council makes significant energy savings in decarbonisation initiative

14 schools in Monmouthshire are progressing towards net-zero goals thanks to an ambitious county-wide decarbonisation initiative delivered by Monmouthshire County Council in partnership with SSE Energy Solutions.

Schools such as Chepstow Comprehensive School & Leisure Centre were assessed to identify what key measures needed to be taken to ensure each building operates at optimum energy efficiency, and identified how they can best generate individual sources of clean energy, such as Solar photovoltaics (PV) on roofs or carports.

This project has reduced carbon emissions from 22 council-owned buildings to date, including offices and leisure centers as well as schools. The initiate is projected to deliver savings of up to 1,704,443 kWh/443tCO₂ – the equivalent energy used by 600 houses – and £253,916 in energy bills.

Cllr. Catrin Maby, Monmouthshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment said: “It is vital that we find new ways to decarbonise our existing infrastructure if we are to successfully achieve our climate-saving ambitions. SSE provided a great solution to this challenge by successfully identifying and delivering a number of measures that have made a significant number of community buildings much more energy efficient. For example, at Chepstow Comprehensive School and Leisure Centre, the LED lighting, high efficiency boilers and CHP, new air handling unit and solar car port combined will save over £100,000 of energy costs and 226 tonnes of carbon every year.”

“In 2019, the council passed a motion declaring a climate emergency, and made a clear policy commitment for the council to work with partners across the county, other councils and organisations like SSE to meet our ambitious decarbonisation goals, ensuring our community reaps the environmental and financial benefits for years to come.”

Monmouthshire County Council is already considering options to work further with SSE to develop a second phase that will involve additional buildings, a wider scope of decarbonisation measures, and the potential for larger infrastructure projects such as EV charging hubs and solar farms.

For more information, please visit: Climate Emergency – Monmouthshire