The Diocese of Guildford has completed the first step to decarbonising its entire school estate, by installing low-carbon heating systems at 11 schools across Surrey.
The move is part of a long-term sustainability programme supported by funding from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix Finance.
The project was overseen by consultancy ReEnergise. Viessmann Climate Solutions was selected as the heat pump technology supplier. It provided air source heat pump systems tailored to each school’s requirements.
The units ranged from the compact 10 kW Viessmann Vitocal 150-A heat pump at Newdigate Pre-School to a 384 kW system using three Vitocal 200-A Pro units at The Priory School in Dorking. In total, 15 individual systems were installed across 11 schools, with the works carried out by Aston Cord Energy Services between July 2024 and March 2025.
Now fully commissioned and operational, a statement said the new systems are expected to save over 466 tonnes of CO2 annually due to the removal of fossil fuel heating. They will also reduce total energy use by almost 1.8m kWh, it noted, due to the much greater efficiency of heat pumps compared to gas boilers. This equates to a 70% reduction in total annual energy consumption across the upgraded schools, it cited.
Jonathan Grist, commercial sales director at Viessmann Climate Solutions UK, said: “It has been great to partner again with ReEnergise, who are incredibly experienced and knowledgeable in school decarbonisation programmes. Besides Viessmann’s role as a technology supplier, we’ve enjoyed helping to educate children and staff at the schools in how heat pumps work.
“Our customers know we are never far away. Now the heat pumps are installed, we’re continuing to support the Diocese and ReEnergise with remote energy and performance monitoring, ensuring the heating systems are optimised for energy efficiency.”
Mike Giles, School Buildings & Estates Manager for the Diocese of Guildford, added: “With the support of the PSDS, we have taken a vital first step toward our sustainability goals. These 11 installations are just the beginning. The heat decarbonisation plans and first PSDS grant have laid strong foundations upon which we can continue to build moving forward.”