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FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF AIR CONDITIONING
More cost effective than Gas, Electric & Oil
Air conditioning uses 80% less energy to heat than oil, gas & electricity.
A new system can deliver Return On Investment within 5 years.
Air conditioning heats quickly & efficiently to lower ventilation costs.
School systems are typically A+++ Efficiency Rated.
Heating and cooling is fully controllable minimising wasted energy.
CLIMATE OF LEARNING INITIATIVE
Total Savings By Uk Schools
£'s Saved To Date
kWh Saved To Date
Tonnes CO₂ saved to date
COST SAVINGS
Switching from a traditional heating system to air conditioning reduce energy costs dramatically.
80% Reduction in Energy Use
Using an air conditioning solution to heat a classroom typically lowers energy costs over the course of a year by around 70%. This is despite schools using additional energy for cooling during summer months, making the winter savings even more remarkable.
Optimum Efficiency
Air conditioning units deliver around 4kW of heat for every 1kW of electricity, resulting in an energy consumption that is around one sixth of that required by traditional heating.
What Are The Financial Benefits for a Typical School?
Imagine a small primary school with 10 classrooms:
| System | Annual Energy Costs | |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Heating | £6000-£9000 | |
| Electric Heating | £15,000 | |
| Air Conditioning (Air-to-Air) | £2530 |
savings vs Gas: £3470 – £6470 per year
savings VS Electric: £12,470 PER YEAR
These figures are representative given that the efficiency of gas, oil and electrical systems can vary.
Pilot Study – £9K per annum saving
As part of the Climate of Learning initiative, a small one-form entry school in Devon was empirically monitored over 5 years. For the 24 months since the installation of air conditioning the school demonstrated savings of over £9,000 per year.
TCO & LEASING
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (TCO)
Air Condition is Modular
Each individual classroom has its own air conditioning system allowing a school to adopt a cost-effective rolling replacement programme. This modular nature means there is no financial
disadvantage associated with a gradual approach over a number of years.
The benefits of doing this:
Costs
Savings made through heating in year 1 can be used to finance new systems in year 2. Key areas such as exam rooms can also be prioritised first to take advantage of summer cooling.
Efficient Management
As systems are generally individual, any installation or maintenance disruption can be minimised and scheduled. Any disruption caused by breakdown or failure would also only affect 1 classroom.
Self Financing
Within 5 years an air conditioning system will typically cover its supply and installation costs, purely from energy savings vs the existing heating solution. This means that from year 5 onwards the system is actually generating income for the school. In most cases this will occur within 3-4 years.
CLIMATE OF LEARNING SUPPORT TYPICALLY ALLOWS INSTALLATION FOR LESS THAN £2000 PER CLASSROOM
10 Year Warranty
All systems installed into schools come with an industry leading 10-year warranty. From a TCO
perspective, this means that 10 years is the minimum system life the school can expect. In reality, a school can expect nearer to 15-20 years.
Leasing – Airconditioning installed for free!
Preferential 5 year “Lease-buy” options are now available to schools. Spreading the cost over 5 years also means enjoying the cost-savings for 5 years from day 1. The energy cost savings that will benefit the school vs their existing system will typically be greater than the quarterly lease payments. As such, almost no capital expenditure is usually required and the system is essentially funded for free.
For further reading: See the RESOURCE section.
ENERGY COMPARISON
To produce the 7 kW of heating required for a typical system, it will use around 1.75kW of electricity.
However, utilising the very latest inverter technology, this intelligent function controls the
compressor and limits its running time. This means that the system is actually heating or cooling for long periods using much less energy, or no energy at all.
Cost analysis
💡Side-by-Side Comparison: Annual Cost (Per Average Classroom)
| Heating Type | Annual Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Heating | £1,500 | Simple but very expensive |
| Gas Heating | £600 -£900 | Moderate cost, no cooling |
| Air Conditioning (Air-to-Air) | £253 | Lowest cost, includes cooling |
🔥
1. Gas Boiler
Heating
-
Efficiency: ~60-90%
-
Energy required: 6,000 ÷ 0.80 = 7,500 kWh gas
-
Gas cost (2025 average, commercial): ~£0.08/kWh
-
Annual cost: 7,059 × £0.08 = £600
⚡️
2. Electric Resistance Heating
-
Efficiency: 100%
-
Energy required: 6,000 kWh
-
Electricity cost (commercial): ~£0.25/kWh
-
Annual cost: 6,000 × £0.25 = £1,500
❗This technology is very expensive due to high electricity prices and poor efficiency.
🌬
3. Air Conditioning
-
Efficiency (COP): ~4 or 400% (uses 1 unit of electricity to produce 4 units of heat)
-
Electricity used: 1,000 ÷ 4 = 2,000 kWh (factor in inverter technology ÷ 2 = 1000 kWh)
- Electricity cost (commercial): ~£0.25/kWh
-
Annual cost: 1,000 × £0.25 = £250
✓ Cheaper than gas or electric—includes significant cooling benefits (Not provided by gas or electric).
For further reading: See the RESOURCE section.
EFFICIENCY
SMART invertor technology exponentially increases system efficiency and reduces energy use.
Air conditioning systems from manufacturers such as Midea are rated A+++ making them not only efficient but environmentally friendly.
Efficient Classroom Management
An air conditioning system can effectively heat a full classroom in 10-15 minutes. It can be controlled locally, via a smartphone App or through a cloud portal. It does not use inefficient, slow or aging pipe infrastructures to heat and each system is completely independent and totally predictable.
Advantages Of Air Heating Over Pipes & Radiators
- Classrooms are ready to occupy in 15 minutes.
Warm air can be targeted and directed to heat classrooms more efficiently. - Each classroom is independent and can be maintained at the same optimum temperature
Radiators and pipes give unpredictable and inconsistent classroom heating. - Air heating allows more frequent ventilation of CO₂
- Central control of individual classrooms prevents temperature anomalies
Air Conditioning Can Also Be Used To Cool
For further reading: See the RESOURCE section.
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