BEITH Primary School is officially the most eco-friendly in North Ayrshire – after a new heating system was installed at the school.

The pupils are now receiving hot water from wood-fuelled biomass heating – just months after solar panelling was installed.

But they won’t be North Ayrshire’s most eco-friendly school for too long.

Six other schools will have both solar panelling and biomass heating put in place over the coming months.

Ten facilities in total will have solar panels, including seven primary schools, two secondary schools and Council headquarters at Cunninghame House.

Biomass boilers will also be installed across some of those schools and others, as well as Arran Outdoor Education Centre.

Beith Primary is one of the first buildings to benefit from the biomass systems with the programme to be rolled out to other schools and facilities over the coming months.

Heat in all its forms currently accounts for nearly half of the UK’s carbon emissions and the Scottish Government has set targets for 11 per cent of all energy to be provided from renewable sources by 2020.

North Ayrshire Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Place, said “As a Council we have consistently shown our commitment to the environment.

“Our recycling rates are the third best in Scotland, while we are rolling out a new LED lighting programme across North Ayrshire that will produce huge environmental and economic benefits.

“By making the switch to biomass heating we are again showing our support to the local economy, reducing our carbon emissions and saving money against previous heat sources.