New City College leading the way towards greener campuses and net zero

New City College is set to replace old heating systems with greener alternatives at two more of its campuses, thanks to a £4.6m grant.

The fossil fuel-based systems at Epping Forest campus in Loughton, pictured below, and at Ardleigh Green campus in Hornchurch, pictured bottom, will be replaced by a green heating and cooling process that will significantly reduce the college’s carbon footprint.

This success follows a similar heat decarbonisation project at NCC Redbridge campus in Chadwell Heath, East London, which has just been completed. The new system, with planet-friendly air source heat pumps, has been operational since May 2024 and was part-funded through the same scheme.

Together these three projects will reduce New City College’s carbon emissions by 846 tonnes of CO2e. That is nearly a quarter of all emissions arising from gas and electricity in New City College’s campuses.

One tonne of CO2 equals broadly the emissions arising from a return flight from London to Boston (USA), per passenger, which means that these projects will deliver 846 return flights’ worth of reduced emissions, every year!

The £4.6m grant to enable the replacement work to take place was awarded through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix Finance.

Riikka Vihriala, Group Director Strategic Projects at New City College, said: “This is a really exciting next step for our Green Strategy and we are grateful to Salix Finance for enabling us to realise our ambitions for a greener New City College. It will take a few years before these projects are completed and we can start to see their impact. We will continue to work on other green initiatives alongside these major projects throughout this time.”

Principal at Redbridge and Epping Forest campuses, Narzny Khan, said: “It is great to see the tried and tested decarbonisation approach from Redbridge campus being rolled out to other campuses. When we realised that the gas boilers at Epping Forest campus needed replacement, it was a given that we would look for greener alternatives. We are starting to offer courses in low carbon technologies at Epping Forest campus during 2024/25 and my focus will be to ensure that students on these courses are able to engage in the implementation of this project in practice.”

Principal at Ardleigh Green campus, Janet Smith, said: “This project forms part of a wider masterplan to reinvigorate key parts of Ardleigh Green campus, part-funded by the Greater London Authority. Sustainability has been incorporated into these plans from the outset, with electric vehicle charging points already in operation and biodiversity-focused outdoor areas being designed. I am delighted that the funding from Salix is enabling us to take the approach to sustainability even further, and I look forward to sharing our plans in detail with our students and the local community in due course.”

Director of Programmes at Salix Finance Ian Rodger said: “We are looking forward to working with New City College and seeing these campuses transformed.  This work will not only benefit the local environment and community by reducing carbon emissions, but the sites will become healthier places in which to work and study.”