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Durham Sixth Form
Durham Sixth Form Centre: In the heart of Durham City we have built a brand new multi-million-pound digital media centre, complete with a high-tech IT hub and TV studio, for the largest post-16 School in the North East.
Bishop auckland townhall theatre
Bishop Auckland Town Hall: We have carried out a £1.1 million refurbishment project, improvements included the creation of a new café, bar and contemporary art gallery space. As well as enhanced library facilities and revamped auditorium.
NETPark Cafe
NETPark Café: The new build café situated at NETPark, Sedgefield has been built on behalf of Business Durham by our Construction Services Team.
Crimdon Dene Coastal Hub digital render
Construction Services are working with the Heritage Coast Partnership to provide a new coastal hub at Crimdon Dene. The building will offer a 40 seat café for visitors and includes low-energy features which will give the building a low carbon footprint.
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Energy management and sustainability

Energy and water are significant costs for any school or academy budget.

Schools and other educational establishments collectively spend millions on energy and water, but we are here to help you monitor, control and where possible reduce these costs through energy efficiency.

Schools in County Durham are a significant part of the local authorities estate, so are key partners in helping us meet our Climate Emergency Declaration commitments.

We work to ensure that our energy contracts offer the best value for schools. However, energy costs are likely to continue to rise over the next few years, so it is more important than ever for schools and academies to embrace energy efficiency.

 

We provide:

    • Online access to reports and energy data via the Energy Manager (Systemslink) web portal to illustrate your energy consumption and highlight anomalies. Existing customers can log in at https://durham.energymanagerlive.com.
    • In school support through the ECO2 Smart Schools Programme for staff and pupil awareness and empowerment sessions, school leadership meetings, energy surveys, and curriculum-based activities. Each school will receive an annual energy report.
    • Further resources, learning materials and case studies are available from https://eco2smartschools.org.uk

We monitor:

    • Out of hours gas usage and provide temperature data loggers to identify where boilers are incorrectly programmed. We work with technical services to rectify and resolve these issues.
    • Water use through billing data and online meter readings to identify unusual consumption against your benchmark. In addition, we annually review surface water drainage charges to ensure sites are being correctly charged.

For schools that suspect a water leak or have high consumption, we have arranged access to a half-hourly water monitoring service through Demeter (at an additional cost).

  • Our highly skilled and professional team have a wealth of experience and knowledge in energy, water, sustainability and renewables.
  • We share opportunities for energy efficiency from third party organisations where schools will benefit.
  • We continuously investigate opportunities and funding sources that will enable capital investment in schools/ academies such as Salix Finance.
  • We provide guidance for schools investing in energy efficiency products eg: LED lighting.

  • We monitor and validate all energy and water accounts to eliminate overcharging and waste on electricity, gas, water, oil and biomass.
  • We regularly review the energy and non-commodity contracts to ensure your school is being charged the correct rates and we will advise your school of any changes.
  • We also resolve any disputes with the utility companies on your behalf.
  • We work closely with NEPO and other member authorities to maximise its effectiveness.
  • We provide advice to the school funding team and academies directly to assist with budget setting and end of year financial reporting.
  • We provide access to the Energy Manager (Systemslink) energy data portal to enable accurate meter readings and validation checks.
  • We liaise with all parties to organise new supplies and service/meter disconnections and arrange the subsequent closure of accounts.

  • We’ve commissioned fully qualified professionals that can provide Display Energy Certificates and advisory reports, (at an additional cost). These are a statutory requirement for all public buildings with a floor area greater than 250m2 (most schools).
  • We advise and support schools with VAT and climate change levy exemptions where applicable.
  • We liaise with Northern Gas Networks and your gas supplier in the event of a gas leak to restore service with minimal disruption to the school.
  • We assist with the registration of renewables schemes.

  • We produce the termly Energse schools newsletter.
  • We regularly attend the Durham School Business Managers Forum.
  • We contribute to the Durham Caretakers Annual Conference.
  • We provide regular contract updates via the Durham Extranet.
  • We provide site visits on specific issues if requested (in addition to that from the school carbon officers).
  • We can provide energy advice and support on new build or refurbishment projects.