One of the main complaints from parents in recent years is the high temperatures their children are exposed to during the hot months in schools. Something that has worsened due to climate change and that in some areas of central and southern Spain, such as Castilla-La Mancha, has become a headache.
In an attempt to alleviate the heat conditions that children suffer from in classrooms and other spaces in educational centers, the Government Council of Castile-La Mancha gave its approval this week to a call for subsidies for the installation of cooling systems in nursery and primary schools, for which municipalities can qualify as owners of the buildings.
This was announced during his weekly press conference by the Board Spokesperson, Esther Padillawho indicated that this aid amounts to nearly 50 million euros, of which 85% will be covered by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union and the remaining 15% by the local entities themselves. same. “This is an investment of which they will recover 80 percent thanks to savings in energy costs after the installation of more efficient equipment,” he stressed.
“What we are looking for is to guarantee children the optimal conditions” to be in school, according to Padilla, who argued that The appeal for help will be published next Friday October 4 in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM)with a maximum amount for each center of 216,700 euros.
This call for help, in competitive competition, is also aimed at Territorial entities below the municipality (EATIM)to associations and provincial councils. A project which, as the regional spokesperson defined it, “is completely new in Castile-La Mancha, since we are one of the first autonomous communities in the country to implement it.”
With this aid, two objectives are pursued. Firstly, as Padilla indicated, promoting renewable energy and a clean energy transition in educational centers dependent on local entities, which in the region number more than 600. Secondly, he said that we are looking for actions “that promote mitigation and adaptation to climate change in these same public centers.
This measure of adaptation of educational centers will benefit more than 160,000 schoolchildren and more than 13,000 teachers, as recognized by the advisor. It will be divided into three successive calls for an equal amount of 16,600,000 euros in the years 2025, 2026 and 2027.. The objective, as recognized by the regional spokesperson, is that the actions of each of them are completed in April following the call and can be used during the hottest months of the school year .
Padilla indicated which projects can benefit from this funding, once requested by local entities. In this regard, he highlighted that, on the one hand, installations of refrigeration systems using renewable energy with individual hot-cold pump equipment of aerothermal split type can receive subsidies and VRV refrigeration systems, units external connected by tubes, are also financed. .
On the other hand, these types of installations will also be subsidized if they also use photovoltaic energy, “thus helping to reduce the energy consumption of the building”. Furthermore, he warned that “projects that will be funded under these grants must be awaiting start-up or, where applicable, not be completed before the resolution of the call.”
The spaces that can be air-conditioned are all the classrooms of the center with aid of 3,500 euros per class. As for the other spaces, the management office, the office of the head of studies and the secretariat can also be air-conditioned for 1,800 euros each. The teachers’ room at 3,000 euros, the dining room at 90 euros per square meter up to a maximum of 18,000 euros and, optionally, also the multipurpose room at 90 euros per square meter up to a maximum of 18 000 euros.
“In this way we anticipate climate change, which is a reality; ensure that the temperature in classrooms is adequate,” concluded the Commission spokesperson.
