At Veritas Pathways, we are committed to improving our environmental performance and reducing our resource consumption. Since 2019, we have focused on making our buildings more energy efficient. We began by collecting energy usage data going back to 2016 to understand our starting point. At that time, with a similar number of students, we used approximately 4.94 million kWh of gas, 1.46 million kWh of electricity, and 23 million litres of water annually.
By 2022, our usage had significantly decreased:
Gas consumption dropped by 20% to 3.95 million kWh
Electricity usage reduced by 22% to 1.13 million kWh
Water usage fell by 14% to 19.8 million litres
These reductions are the result of focused improvements, including installing insulation (loft and cavity wall), upgrading to double and triple-glazed windows, switching to LED lighting, replacing outdated boilers, improving heating controls, and detecting and fixing leaks.
On a daily basis, we’ve introduced energy-saving shutdown procedures outside school hours and installed 22 electricity sub-meters in high-usage areas like kitchens, boarding facilities, and the Prep School. These meters help us monitor energy use in real time. Gas metering is already in place, and we are working with our suppliers to access half-hourly usage data—an important step toward engaging students and staff with live sustainability information.
As a significant energy consumer, Veritas Pathways has taken part in the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) in 2015 and 2019 and will continue to participate in 2025.
Beyond efficiency improvements, we’ve also invested in renewable energy.
In 2019, we installed a 50kW solar array on our Design & Technology building.
In 2023, a 47kW array was added to our School House roof.
A 160kW system is scheduled for installation on the Mayfield and Sports Hall roofs in 2024.
Together, these solar panels are expected to generate up to 23% of our total electricity needs, and for the Prep School specifically, up to 59%, making it nearly off-grid during the summer months.
We are also exploring future projects such as on-site energy generation, battery storage, alternative heating technologies, electric vehicles, and possibly sourcing water through a borehole—but only if they are practical and sustainable.
To drive this progress forward, we’ve established new sustainability committees involving both staff and students since September 2023.
Waste management is another key focus. Since 2018, we have reduced total site waste from 250 tonnes to 190 tonnes, and cut landfill contributions from 48% to just 6%—primarily construction waste.
Currently:
110 tonnes go to waste-to-energy incineration, generating around 9,000kWh of electricity
33 tonnes of wood waste are sent to a local biodigester
37 tonnes are recycled
Our efforts now include reducing food waste and minimizing packaging waste—particularly since 35% of our waste originates in our kitchens. Additionally, we now purchase cleaning chemicals in concentrated form and dilute them on-site using reusable containers, significantly cutting down on plastic use.
Ian Barnes
Chief Operating Officer
