Report finds sustainable schools don’t cost the earth

A BREEAM schools rating can be achieved at little or no additional capital cost, according to a report published by the BRE Trust and consultant Faithful + Gould.

The report “Putting a Price on Sustainable Schools” shows that higher BREEAM Schools ratings can be achieved at a minimum cost. The publication outlines details of costs for individual BREEAM Schools credits which can then be applied to real projects.

Anna Surgenor, the report’s author from BRE Global, said: "Our study illustrates that many sustainability measures can be implemented at little cost and some items are available at no extra cost.

"Of course one of the vital considerations is that sustainability needs to be embedded into the design of the school at an early stage. In some cases initial capital costs are higher but procuring a sustainable school can result in significant savings in energy, water bills and other operational costs."

The report includes case studies of Building Regulation compliant primary and secondary schools highlighting the increases in capital cost for the school to achieve Pass, Good, Very Good and Excellent under BREEAM Schools. Having considered cost implications the study then goes on to explore the increase in cost for a standard compliant school to achieve zero net carbon emissions through the use of low- or zero-carbon technologies.