Schools seek transitional heat solutions as decarbonisation hurdles intensify in the UK

Schools across the UK are being pushed harder to rethink how they heat their buildings as carbon targets tighten, budgets remain strained and older estates compete for scarce capital.

A new Baxi-commissioned report, prepared by Talan UK and Ireland, says the education sector faces a complicated route to lower-carbon heating because policy, funding and building condition all have to align before large-scale change becomes realistic.

The report argues that schools matter disproportionately in the public sector’s wider decarbonisation effort. It says education is responsible for 37% of public sector emissions, with heating and powering buildings accounting for 27% of that total.

It also notes that 87% of schools still depend on gas as their main heat source, underlining how much of the challenge sits in the boiler room rather than in abstract strategy documents.

The guide sets out the main frameworks shaping decisions, including the Department for Education’s Education Estates Strategy, the Future Buildings Standard, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the Condition Improvement Fund, School Condition Allocations and emerging Great British Energy initiatives.

Baxi says the practical obstacles are as significant as the policy ones. Ageing buildings, limited capital budgets and competing priorities mean many schools cannot simply replace systems in a single step.

In a separate Baxi survey of 200 school estates managers, consultant engineers and M&E contractors, 90% said net zero is a priority, but many pointed to technical complexity, power demand and funding as barriers.

Even so, 93% of estates managers said they would be open to hybrid heat pump systems, suggesting that the sector is looking for transitional solutions rather than waiting for the perfect funding environment.

The report says heat pumps can cut emissions by 55% to 65% compared with an A-rated boiler, while hybrid systems combining boilers and heat pumps may offer a more realistic bridge for schools that cannot yet afford full electrification.

Baxi has also argued elsewhere that prefabricated heating centres could help speed up installation and reduce disruption in occupied schools, while tailored refurbishment plans remain essential for older estates that were never designed with net zero in mind.

Jeff House, Baxi’s director of policy and external affairs, said schools need clearer guidance on what works for their buildings and how to balance carbon, cost and comfort as the policy landscape shifts.