Resources
DECARBONISE
Groundworks started in January
2022 and the project is now complete, with buildings drawing entirely renewable heating rather than burning oil. Our 72 boreholes, with a combined depth of 10km, alongside 25km of piping and new pump house, are all fully functional. The heat brought from below the ground is already being used in glasshouses to facilitate horticultural study too. At this stage, everything has been
working normally and both heating of buildings and water has been effective, with the GSHP system producing 63˚ Celsius from the ground alone, as designed. More challenging has been the retrofi t to existing galvanised plumbing systems. Switching on and off the water pressure has resulted in an ongoing challenge to regularly clean fi lters from residues that precipitate during these works. This will decline over time so for now, things are looking good. In terms of ongoing costs, we will
save around £100,000 in a calendar year on oil, as well as the obvious carbon reduction benefi ts, but this comes with a corresponding electricity usage increase. Given what is occurring with electricity prices, this is currently an unknown additional cost. However, we feel that government interventions will be required on this regardless, given that even renewable electrical costs are tied to gas prices.
YOUR SCHOOL Competition for grants from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) is fierce so schools need to prepare in advance, says Nigel Aylwin-Foster of ReEnergise, a consultancy which has supported successful applications
Lack of funding is arguably the biggest barrier to switching to low- carbon and renewable projects for schools and colleges. In fact, capital outlay can often make it out of the question. Yet schools are expected to become net zero by 2050 and some education groups have specific targets to reduce consumption and emissions by 2030 or earlier. Since 2020, the government has
provided some funding to support the decarbonisation of public buildings through the PSDS. The scheme provides grants to pay for decarbonisation works to existing energy infrastructure, converting fossil fuel heating plant to renewable alternatives. It also funds related energy- efficiency measures. Schools and colleges
can apply for PSDS funding through Salix Finance, a public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
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