Busy community hub to benefit from low-carbon heating system
“We hope that this initiative will serve as an inspiring example." - Cllr Sarah Hands
Salix team tour Tewkesbury site to see installation of green technology
A giant step in reducing greenhouse emissions at a busy Gloucestershire community hub used by hundreds of people every day has been showcased during a visit by Salix.
Tewkesbury Borough Council, which declared a climate emergency in 2019, played host to Salix in a bid to explain how Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding has been so key in its decarbonisation journey.
Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment, Councillor Sarah Hands, said “This work will be instrumental to us meeting our commitment to having carbon neutral offices by 2030 – and it would not have been possible without the funding delivered by Salix.
“We hope that this initiative will serve as an inspiring example, encouraging other public buildings to set their own ambitious carbon reduction goals.”
The funding, delivered by Salix, has helped pay for an air source heating system at the Public Services Centre which is replacing the building's ageing gas boilers and removing the need for gas on-site completely.
From left: Olivia Danter (Tewkesbury Borough Council), Mark Evans, site supervisor for GSM Ltd, Andy Noble (Tewkesbury Borough Council) Jordan Noffke (Salix), Marcus Tang (Salix), Chris Atkinson, carbon reduction programme officer at Tewkesbury Borough Council.
Photo credit: Salix Finance
Photo credit: Salix Finance
The Public Services Centre is an integrated services centre that has a Jobcentre Plus, Tewkesbury Growth Hub, a police station, the council offices as well as other office tenants.
Salix client support officer George Richards has been working closely with the Tewkesbury team to achieve its objectives.
He said the Salix team was delighted to visit the site and to see the technology in place, almost ready to be fully commissioned.
He said: “This is an important project as it will remove the need for gas completely in a building used by thousands of people every year, making it a more comfortable and efficient building to visit as well as to work.
“It is fascinating to learn how these technologies are being applied and the impact it will have, on both the building’s users and the council’s climate change targets.”
The building, constructed in the 1970s has had fabric upgrades and double glazing installed in the past. However, the gas-fired heating system is unable to provide a comfortable environment throughout the building due to its size and the lack of control.
The government funding, which comes from Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme totals £708,282 and has enabled the council to install a dual ASHP system with a sophisticated building management system (BMS).
This system provides full control which means the environment can be properly controlled to ensure the comfort of service users and office employees throughout the building, whilst also achieving substantial carbon reductions.
It is estimated that replacing all gas-fired boilers in the building will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas by over 100 tonnes annually (equivalent to 100 hot air balloons).
George added: “Congratulations to the Tewkesbury team, we look forward to seeing what they do next.”
Photo credit: Salix Finance
