Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average energy consumption of a primary school.

Those responsible bodies for school buildings, which includes Local Authorities, academy trusts and diocesan bodies, must ensure that buildings with a total floor area of 250m² have a Display Energy Certificate (DEC).

DECs present the annual energy use and typical energy use of the assessed building. DECs are publicly available at: https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate.

The Department is currently working closely with an academic partner on an energy model for the school estate using a variety of available data to establish future investment approaches to achieving net zero and reducing running costs for schools. In December 2022, the Department published guidance on reducing energy for schools alongside additional funding of £447 million aimed at supporting schools with energy reduction measures.

​In November 2021, the Department launched its first specification to deliver schools that are net zero carbon in operation. All schools that are procured under this specification will not only be net zero in operation but will also incorporate a wider range of measures to tackle climate change. The Department’s full specification can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-design-and-construction#output-specification. ​

The Department does not hold the information or collect the data requested with regard to solar panels in Warwickshire, or the average energy consumption of a primary school.