Phase 1 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme
Frequently asked questions
To close projects, all outstanding conditions must be fulfilled, including providing data sheets for the equipment installed. Salix Finance would like to get projects closed out as soon as possible, and at the latest, by the end of April.
We appreciate that completing the projects and fulfilling all the outstanding conditions will take time due to the amount of information to collate. It is advised that clients make a start on submitting information for outstanding conditions now, and to start making requests to your contractors as soon as possible. If clients are struggling to assemble all the required information and think this will take beyond the end of April, please speak to your Salix Finance relationship manager.
We will be practical and will not require images from all individual sites where there are many sites under one application. However, please do aim to provide photographic evidence of the highest value items where practical. If unsure of how large a sample of photographs are required, please speak to your Salix Finance relationship manager to be sure. The key requirement is to provide reasonable and sufficient evidence. You should make sure to cover the highest value measures in your project, and where possible tag it geographically and with the date of when it was installed.
When a client submits an application to Salix Finance, we check that the buildings are expected to be in public ownership or be leased by the public for the lifetime of the technology. However, we understand that portfolios change, and circumstances change as part of the project. If this does happen, we ask clients to contact Salix Finance and to inform us by writing. We also ask that, where possible, when you are doing a review of your estate, consideration is taken, to keep any carbon savings, as a result of a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme project, within the public sector.
The final deadline for Section 98 grant recipients (non Section 31) remains the 31 March, as the scheme has a non-negotiable amount of funding to provide in each financial year. This means that no funding can be drawn down for Phase 1 or Phase 2 projects (whether funded under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 or Section 98 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006) in the 2022/23 financial year. An extension is possible for Section 31 grant recipients because Section 31 grant recipients received their grant directly from Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (formerly the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) at the start of delivery.
Yes, they will be included within the final payment request. Regarding your final payment, please ensure that if you are including any retention costs, they included are in the statement of expenditure and in any invoices, you receive from contractor/s.