Impington Village College (IVC) has announced a new partnership with one of the world's leading construction groups, Skanska.

The programme is one of the first of its kind in the country, and may act as a pathfinder project to establish a model for other schools up and down the country.

The project entitled Sustainable IVC will involve a major retrofit which will reduce the College’s carbon footprint by a staggering 50 percent. The programme will also bring a range of educational benefits and learning opportunities to students, as well as introducing a behaviour change programme which is intended to filter into the local community.

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Sustainable IVC has been in development for two years but has only just received the go ahead in the form of planning consent from South Cambridgeshire District Council. The programme of works is one of the largest entered into by any school in the country. It will commence in summer 2014 with the installation of three biomass boilers.

In total the programme will require an investment of £1 million through an Energy Performance Contract (EPC). Skanska will fund this upfront through private investment, and then recoup the outlay over a seven-year period (through a combination of savings on bills, revenue generated through the sale of any surplus energy, and drawing on government incentives).

Once the investment has been paid off the additional revenue will bring the College an estimated £3 million over the following 15 years. If the savings don't add up, Skanska will assume the shortfall.

(CD)