Salix team visits two innovative Cambridge sites forging ahead with net zero plans

An NHS trust and top college at Cambridge University have been the focus of a new year visit from our Salix delivery team.

Our team has been supporting both Darwin College, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on their decarbonisation journey.

We are in the process of delivering more than £1m of combined government funding to these organisations, aimed at helping them achieve their net zero ambitions.

Salix client support officer with the Low Carbon Skills Fund team, Samuel Docherty said: “It’s always fascinating to see how different organisations shape their vision for decarbonisation.

“Both the college and the trust are using innovative solutions to complex situations.

“We could not wait to visit this new year and get 2024 off to an inspirational start.”

The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has received £999,840 in total from the Low Carbon Skill Fund 4, £127,390 from Low Carbon Skills Fund 3 and £461,872 from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 1.

Both schemes are run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by our teams at Salix.

The trust is currently undertaking a Low Carbon Skills Fund Phase 4 project but has also completed Low Carbon Skills Fund Phase 3 funding, having been successful in both bids. It previously delivered its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 1 project.

The government funding from Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase, 1 allowed the trust to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of heat pumps in the setting of the hospital. And being able to demonstrate these benefits allowed for more funding from the trust to implement similar systems in their new buildings.

We have also worked with the trust through our Recycling Funds scheme.

The trust has declared NHS Net-Zero Carbon commitments to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2040.

Richard Hales, the trust’s Energy and Sustainability Manager and Maxine Rokoszak who works alongside the sustainability team managing the utilities contracts toured our team around the site.

Our team was also delighted to revisit Darwin College, Cambridge University. We previously visited the site in November 2023.

• At Darwin our team were guided around the site by the Second Bursar Giles Greenfield alongside consultant Robert Bell and architect Nicola Blake.
• The college has received £212,838 of government funding delivered by Salix through the Low Carbon Skills Fund Phase 4

Samuel added: “The purpose of the visit was to liaise with our clients that are experienced and familiar with our schemes to understand the challenges the organisation is facing to progress their heat decarbonisation projects in the future and how these projects align with their wider decarbonisation plans.”

The plans at Darwin College as well as studies for the water source heat pump using the river that runs through their site, has sparked interest from several other colleges in similar positions to Darwin.

The river offers an innovative solution to those with little space for conventional air source heat pumps and are fortunate to have the river running through their campuses.

Read about our previous visit to Darwin College to see how ambitious plans are taking shape.