Replacing coal boilers one step in the sustainability journey

Ruapehu College’s art and technology team are facilitating the creation of a student-created mural inspired by flora and fauna. Here teachers and students contemplate how they can use artwork to communicate the sustainability narrative for present and future students.

Students at three schools are starting the new year in classrooms that can be heated with clean energy after kicking coal to the curb.

A further 11 schools in Aotearoa are due to have their coal boilers replaced with a low-emission alternative by the start of the winter heating season (April), with seven of these due to be completed by the end of February.

“Coal boilers are big polluters – they are a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of a school and pose health and safety risks. It is very straightforward to switch out for low-emissions alternatives, which is exactly what the government has set out to do,” says Richard Briggs, public sector group manager at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

A total of 42 coal boilers have already been replaced through the Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education’s School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme.

Inspiring students

The removal of the boilers is also opening opportunities for students to become actively involved in the sustainability journey of their school.

As part of the programme, the Ministry is encouraging its contractors to promote environmental education when they install the new heating solution.

“This includes artwork on new containerised pellet boilers, native plantings around the new equipment, and even QR codes that the students and parents can scan, to tell the story of the sustainability journey,” says Ismael Costa, acting national programme manager for the Ministry.

“We’re pleased to be doing our bit to help tackle climate change – replacing coal boilers with low-carbon heating systems is better for the health of our tamariki, our community and our planet.”

Sustainability in action

At Ruapehu College, education isn’t confined to the classroom, with the school also incorporating sustainability initiatives and projects into the curriculum to give students a more holistic and
hands-on relationship with their local environment.

The college recently welcomed two new 40-foot containerised wood pellet boilers – replacing a very old coal boiler that had become a major concern for the staff. The boilers work in tandem to provide 500kw to the school to heat its classrooms.

The physical removal of a coal boiler and replacement with a sustainable alternative for providing energy has proven to be a valuable opportunity for students to witness a move away from a reliance on fossil fuels.

“Building on previous work, our 2023 curriculum will be developed further to implement local environmental studies – and the new boilers provide us with an example of climate action in everyday life,” says school principal Marama Allen.

The college is located in the shadow of Mount Ruapehu and has the unique demands of its local climate to consider. On a normal winter’s day, the temperature is usually below five degrees Celsius in the early morning and has been recorded as low as -13 degrees C, meaning reliability of heating is paramount.

“We’re relieved to have a heating source that is better for the environment,” says Marama.

Inside one of the new containerised wood pellet burners.

Energy in a box

Following some in-depth scoping work by EECA, Ruapehu College’s coal boiler was replaced with an innovative solution that has been used to replace fossil fuel-powered boilers across several schools in Aotearoa – a wood pellet boiler inside a shipping container.

The replacement was carried out under the Ministry of Education’s School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme, which was established in 2020.

Instead of coal, the containers use carbon-neutral wood pellets produced using waste wood from timber production and forestry. This avoids the need to send the unused product to landfill, as the ‘waste’ product is 100 percent renewable.

“Knowing our heating source is not impacting the environment is important to us – as an education facility we need to be leading and teaching by example for our young learners,” says Marama.

“The air also feels cleaner, which the students are happy about as they love the outdoors.”

The container boilers were manufactured and pre-commissioned in Rotorua. After being delivered to the school they were essentially ‘plugged in’ and able to be used. 

An example of artwork on a containerised boiler at the University of Waikato.

The programme at a glance

• The Ministry of Education’s School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme has a budget of
  $75 million.
• The programme is co-funded through the government’s $220 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund (administered by EECA), which supports the Carbon Neutral Government Programme in accelerating the reduction of energy emissions within the public sector.
• The Ministry of Education coordinates the delivery of the projects across schools and allocated
  $10 million from their own budget.
• The programme is expected to replace all remaining coal boilers in public schools by 2025.
• There are around 87 public schools that still use coal boilers in New Zealand.
• The replacement programme is expected to reduce the state sector’s carbon emissions by around 89,000 tonnes over 10 years – the equivalent of taking 3,662 cars off the road.

Find out more about the School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme at education.govt.nz (external link)

Part of a wider story

Education Gazette has explored a number of ways that early learning centres, schools and kura are contributing to a sustainable future – including the replacement of coal boilers.

• Schools chipping away at sustainability goals(external link)
• Education’s contribution to a climate resilient future(external link)

Resource support

The refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa will be accompanied by updated and new teaching and learning resources aligned to the updated national curriculum to support kaiako and teachers to connect learning purposefully to climate change contexts and encourage students to engage in positive, solutions-focused climate learning and action.

This will include guidance on incorporating emission reduction activities into local curriculum and marau ā-kura.

Here are some resources to support education for sustainability:

• Te Kete Ipurangi(external link)
• Kura Taiao(external link)
• Kauwhata Reo(external link)