First school in Brighton & Hove to get 100% zero-carbon heating

Extensive retrofit of Peter Gladwin Primary School taking place over the summer to replace gas boilers with more sustainable tech 

A school in Hove is undergoing an extensive retrofit this summer. The gas boilers at Peter Gladwin Primary School are reaching the end of their useful life and so are being replaced with air-source heat pumps and upgraded radiators. Once commissioned, the new system is expected to reduce the school’s carbon emissions by some 19 tonnes per year. 

Upgraded LED lighting is also being fitted throughout.

This is the latest stage in the school’s efforts to be more energy efficient. Last year, a 50kW rooftop solar panel array was installed; this is owned by Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-op (BHESCo) and operated on behalf of Brighton & Hove City Council. The array has helped the school reduce carbon emissions and save money on bills. With the new LED lighting, it will help to free up electrical capacity, supporting use of the new heat pumps. 

The school’s new heating system will be in place by the end of October 2025, in time for the winter demand. Reaming works are scheduled for completion in March 2026. 

Local mechanical engineering firm Edgar & Wood is carrying out the work. The project has been part-funded through a successful grant application to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.  

Other schools across Brighton & Hove are already partly heated by low-carbon heat pumps but this is to be the first school in the council’s portfolio to see its gas boilers fully decommissioned. Solar panel arrays have also been installed at Middle Street Primary School in Brighton and Goldstone Primary School in Hove.

Cllr Tim Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero and Environmental Services at Brighton & Hove City Council, says: ‘This will be our first school to be heated with no fossil fuels. It’s a great example of a whole-building approach, with energy efficiency improvements, solar panels and heat pumps all working together as a single system to eliminate carbon emissions. 

‘Gas is the biggest source of carbon emissions in the city, and non-domestic buildings like schools can be particularly energy-intensive to keep warm. Getting buildings like this off fossil fuels is an important step on the journey to net zero.’ 

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