MP's delight at Northumberland school's low-carbon heating system

The low-carbon heating method uses heat from the ground to warm buildings. Stamfordham Primary School has benefited from an investment as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS).

In the first phase of the PSDS, Northumberland County Council was awarded £3,012,580 by central government to decarbonise heating systems in several buildings – including at the school near Ponteland.

Kensa Contracting designed and installed the system and its commercial director, Stuart Gadsden, said the business worked with the county council to “replace the old heating system at Stamfordham Primary School with efficient and reliable ground source heat pumps”.

Hexham MP Guy Opperman recently visited to see first-hand the effects of the new heating system and speak with representatives from the local authority, including leader Glen Sanderson, and Kensa Contracting.

The two politicians also spoke with some of the pupils about the importance of tackling climate change locally in Northumberland.

Mr Opperman said: “I was delighted to visit Stamfordham Primary School and it was fantastic to see an example of local investment in ground source heat pumps – a huge thank you to Northumberland County Council and Kensa Contracting for all their work installing the new heating system.

“It was great speaking with the pupils about the importance of tacking climate change and getting to net zero emissions.”

Glen Sanderson, who is also portfolio holder for climate change, added: “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 to become a cleaner and greener place to live and work.”

With winter approaching, the heat pumps are keeping pupils and staff comfortable and warm in their learning spaces throughout the school day.

Lynsey Briddock, the school’s headteacher, said: “We had a fantastic morning with Guy Opperman and the representatives from Kensa and Northumberland County Council.

“The pupils really enjoyed the question and answer session and learned lots about climate change, and how installing a ground source heat pump can have a positive impact on the environment.”