£10 million to be invested in carbon cutting plans in Reading
More than £10 million is set to be invested in carbon-cutting plans in Reading over the next three years, including providing solar panels, double glazing and heat pumps for schools.
Reading Borough Council (RBC) has outlined its plans for cutting its carbon impact over the next few years, which include almost £2.5 million on double glazing school windows.
The council has set itself a target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 85 per cent from 2008 to 2025.
A lot of the budget is focused on schools, with plans to retrofit schools and install heat pumps costing £850,000 and plans to install solar panels to cost an extra £560,000.
The council also wants to install solar panels at Smallmead and Reading Crematorium.
There are also plans for different kinds of heat pumps, with water source heat pumps to be installed at the Civic Offices, Weirside Court and Rivermead Leisure Centre and ground source heat pumps to be installed at The Hexagon and Bristow Court.
Unlike burning oil, gas, Liquefied petroleum gas or biomass, a heat pump produces no carbon emissions on site and no carbon emissions at all, if a renewable source of electricity is used to power them.
They can also provide cooling in summer, as well as heating in winter.
Other carbon-cutting plans include introducing electric vehicle charging points and battery storage, systems which enable energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released when most needed.
The tables below show the plans, which are fully funded in the 2021/22 capital budget approved by the council in February.
Spend on the school windows and solar panels has already been approved.