Government plans school heat protection but funding remains unclear

Austria’s federal government plans to improve heat protection in schools, but it has not yet clarified who will pay for the measures, ORF reported. The government wants to adapt school buildings and is working with the federal states and school representatives on the necessary legal framework.

For Upper Austria Municipal Association President Christian Mader of the Austrian People’s Party, the principle should be clear if legal requirements are introduced: whoever orders the measures must pay for them.

Heat protection films would probably be affordable for municipalities, Mader said, but air conditioning would be more difficult to fund. Municipalities are responsible for maintaining compulsory schools, he said, but need the necessary financial resources because they are already taking on tasks worth millions of euros for the federal government.

LinZ Finance Councillor Thomas Gegenhuber of the Social Democratic Party also criticised the lack of funding. The city is already taking measures against overheating but is responsible for 60 schools, he said. Gegenhuber called for a special municipal investment package from the federal government to expand the measures quickly. In the long term, schools could also be cooled through district cooling, with a pilot project already under way in Linz. The funding question remains unresolved there as well.

Measures are intended to vary by region and be based on the heat warning levels set by GeoSphere Austria, allowing schools to respond to particularly high heat levels. The government wants to complete the legal framework in coordination with the federal states and school representatives so schools are prepared for next summer.

The Education Ministry also plans to focus on upgrading older school buildings. Possible measures include installing shading systems, replacing windows on facades exposed to particularly high heat, applying heat protection films, and reducing paved surfaces and adding greenery in schoolyards.