Barcelona starts the air conditioning project in 24 schools, with a target of 170 centers by 2029. Last Thursday, July 11, Mayor Jaume Collboni visited the works being carried out at the Llorers school, in the Eixample district. These are 24 public primary schools that will be air-conditioned in Barcelona. This plan is already underway and will run until 2029. They are expected to be ready for the start of the next school year, on September 9, although it could take a week longer to put them into operation. This initiative is promoted by the City Council through the Consorci d’Educació. It is focused on the initial stage that has a budget of 14.1 million euros. Which come from the tourist taxation of the city. This is specifically from the municipal surcharge of the lodging tax.
Air-conditioning project in 24 schools: 100 million investment
It is a comprehensive program that over six years estimates an investment of 100 million, which will benefit 55,000 students. Mayor Jaume Collboni also stressed that this plan is the first of its kind to be launched in Spain. The City Council is also aware that it will be the first of its kind in Europe. The mayor also pointed out that it is “a public policy in favor of the quality of education, but also to combat climate change”. In addition to reducing the heat, which can be very suffocating in enclosed spaces where about twenty children gather. This benefits decarbonization by creating renewable energy in the buildings themselves.
Plan Clima Escola will reach 55,000 students
It is estimated that this Clima Escola plan will reach 55,000 students with an investment of 100 million in these facilities, which are aerothermal. The financing of this program is developed from the tourist taxation of the city. This corresponds to a source of income that the socialist government plans to increase and bring it to the maximum fixed by the Catalan legislation, and it is also a relevant issue, according to Collboni. Collboni also points out that this is a “pedagogical” measure as it teaches what taxes are used for. He also indicated, “to make social policies that improve people’s lives”. In this sense, the mayor explained that a third of the proceeds received will be used for the Clima Escola plan.
Air conditioning project in 24 schools will be carried out during the summer vacations
Most of the work in the schools is carried out during the summer vacations, in order to take advantage of the fact that there is no school activity. According to Toni Garcia, director of educational facilities of the Consorci d’Educació, these 24 schools selected to start the plan are the ones with the least difficulties in the execution. It is planned for the next stages, the centers will be ordered based on the impact that have the heat inside the buildings. In which a series of technical parameters are taken into account, which will be ordered from highest to lowest according to the degree of affectation. In this way, the hottest schools should be the next to be air-conditioned, and in this way, the fans that have recently been appeasing the thermal suffering that usually occurs at the end and the beginning of the school year can be removed.
Eixample, district with most cases of schools with high temperatures
Garcia explained, “The newer centers are the ones that involve simpler work, since some of them already have some type of installation. Because of this, equipment must be placed and piping installed with more caution so as not to damage these valuable parts. The Eixample is the district with more cases of schools with high temperatures, this is because it is the district that has more streets that support high levels of traffic and these windows are usually closed and thus protect students from noise and air pollution. This happens in some classrooms of the Els Llorers school, which is located in Aragó street. To air-condition the schools is done by aerothermal systems that can generate heat and cold, so it provides heating in winter, in addition to the renewal of the air. It is a technology that is currently considered as the most appropriate, although it is not ruled out while the program is deployed other solutions are provided that are much better that can be implemented.
