The government has announced a new scheme that will allow public sector organisations to obtain grants for improving energy efficiency on their premises. The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in October.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will be open to schools and academy trusts in England only and will allow eligible schools to apply for a 100% grant for the costs of capital energy-saving projects that meet the scheme criteria.
The new grant scheme represents a significant opportunity for schools to undertake fully funded capital improvement works. However, the timescales for applications mean that schools will need to move fast! The deadline for schools and academy trusts to apply is Monday 11 January 2021.
The guidance for the grants states that projects should aim to be completed by 31 March 2021 if possible, with an end deadline of 30 September 2021.
The types of project that will be eligible for grants include boiler / heating replacement – e.g. replacing old oil or gas boilers with air source or ground source heating systems. Decarbonisation of heating is a key factor. The installation of PV Solar panels is another project that schools can apply for, as are upgrades to single glazing and thermal insulation.
This grant scheme, along with a further scheme aimed at promoting low carbon skills, is worth up to £1 billion. It will be delivered by Salix Finance.
The new grant scheme is separate to the existing Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme and has different criteria. If you are not sure of which scheme to apply for please get in touch for advice.
How can Lea Hough help?
Lea Hough’s School Building Consultants are able to visit schools to inspect and assess existing systems, consider proposals, design schemes, obtains costs, and get the energy saving calculations together to enable schools to make the applications for the grant funding.
In particular, we are working closely with Diocese VA schools to develop proposals for decarbonisation and to prepare funding applications on their behalf.
Our expertise in the area of funding for the education sector means we are well-versed on making applications of this type and dealing with the relevant documentation that can help to support and ultimately obtain funding bids.
However, as the deadlines are tight, we would urge schools that are interested in obtaining the funding to get in touch as soon as possible.
