EA pilot project helping schools use less energy and save money

Twelve schools in the Belfast City and Derry City and Strabane District Council areas are working with the EA and a NI-based tech company, SustainIQ, to look at how they can cut costs by making simple and sustainable changes such as installing heat sensors for controlling room temperature and switching off lights.

It is hoped the findings from the SBRI Carbon Capital project could inform future funding bids to help schools in Northern Ireland save money, be more sustainable and allow the EA to monitor and report on its carbon emissions.

With responsibility for a range of education support services such as transport, meals and maintenance, the EA is one of the Northern Ireland public sector’s largest energy consumers.

Knockavoe School in Strabane is taking part in the pilot and already seeing benefits from being involved.

Principal, Sharon Cassidy, said:

“The SBRI Carbon Capital project has been a recipe for success - to get into the schools, to capture data and use it to bring positive benefits to the children, to the environment and to the community.”

The SBRI project will run until the end of March 2025 and one of its key objectives is to develop a platform which could inform future investment for decarbonisation across schools and the EA as a whole.

Photo: Knockavoe SBRI 1 – L-R: Elaine Smith, Senior Quality, Energy & Sustainability Manager, EA; Maria Diffley, SustainIQ co-founder ; Seanan McGinley, Head Girl; Sharon Cassidy, Knockavoe School Principal; Cormac Crawford, Head Boy; Adrian Kennedy, Head of Quality, Safety, Health and Safety, EA.