TWO Central Fife schools are gearing up for greener energy after a planning application was lodged with Fife Council.

Crossgates and Hill of Beath primaries are all set to have new air source heat pumps installed if permission is granted.

It follows similar applications for the heating systems, which aim to cut the use of greenhouse gases by around 90 per cent, at other primary schools in Fife.

READ MORE: St Joseph's Primary School to get air source heat pumps

Alternative Heat Ltd, based in Northern Ireland, will install pumps that use heat from the air to provide heating and hot water for "multiple" Fife Council buildings, including schools.

Five air source heat pumps are planned for Crossgates Primary with two proposed for Hill of Beath.

The changes are part of the council's climate action plan in their commitment to decarbonise as rapidly as possible, following a climate emergency declaration on September 2019 and with a set target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Air source heat pumps work by drawing in outside air.

The air is blown over a network of tubes filled with a fluid (refrigerant) which warms and turns from a liquid into a gas.

This gas goes through a compressor and passes through a heat exchanger, which raises the temperature and then transfers that heat to water.

The heated water is then circulated around the building to provide heating and hot water.