Government unveils green schools plan

Schools Secretary Ed Balls yesterday announced 200 new eco-friendly building projects as part of the government's plan to make all new school buildings zero-carbon by 2016.

The projects, which will provide another boost to the booming green construction industry, will cost £110m over three years.

In a statement to MPs, Balls said that a typical secondary school will receive around £500,000 under the scheme to reduce carbon emissions in new school buildings. The projects are expected to include investments in onsite renewable energy technologies as well as efforts to improve energy efficiency through improved insulation, lower-energy lighting and energy efficient computers.

"We are taking action now to reduce carbon emissions in new school buildings while we work towards the zero-carbon goal," Balls said.

The target for all new schools to be zero carbon by 2016 was published last week as part of the government's new Childrens Plan.

Under the plan the government is to appoint a taskforce to investigate how schools could work with local authorities and construction firms to limit their environmental impact.

The plan also includes a separate target to reduce emissions from the school run by 2020.