Laois secondary school plans to swap fossil fuel for heatpumps

A small Laois secondary school is turning green, with plans launched to replace fossil fuel heating with air to water heatpumps.

Clonaslee College in Bellair, Clonaslee at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, has 260 pupils, across 14 classrooms, two science labs, an art room, home ec room and Special Education Needs room. 

The principal Sean Cotter has applied to Laois County Council for planning permission to install three eco friendly electric heatpumps.

"The works are proposed to decarbonise the schools heating by supplementing the schools existing boilers," the application states.

The planning application is made on behalf of Laois Offaly Education & Training Board (LOETB).

A design report with the application says that the school got new LPG boilers and tanks in emergency works in late 2025.

"Clonaslee College, constructed in 1937 with subsequent extensions up to 2022, is being assessed under the Pathfinder Bundle 9 for suitability for a heat pump retrofit. The 2002 m² school accommodates 260 students and currently uses an oil-fired system being replaced with new LPG boilers.

"The proposed project aims to decarbonise heating through a 45 kW air-source heat pump integrated with existing LPG boilers, achieving 22% CO₂ reduction and 7% primary energy savings by 2030. Electrical upgrades, including an MIC increase to

49 kVA, are required. This option will not produce any cost savings," the report says.

"The objective of this heat pump programme is to modify the existing heating system to lower its carbon impact. This will be achieved by adding a heat pump that will deliver most of the heating load, supported by a high efficiency boiler".

The report estimates the cost at over €196,000. 

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It suggests future installation of photovoltaic solar panels covering approx. 500 m² to offset electricity consumption from the

heat pump. It also suggests future insulation and window glazing to enhance overall energy efficiency and thermal comfort.

The report further recommends construction to take place during summer months of 2026 to minimise disruption to school

operations. 

The initial planning application received on March 10 was returned as invalid due to an incorrect site notice.