Showcasing our expertise: getting to net zero

This piece was originally published in Energy Manager Magazine, March 2024 

Author: Ian Rodger, director of public sector decarbonisation schemes

We’re in a race when talking about our climate challenge.

The climate stability of the last 12,000 years has come to an end. Around the world we are seeing this impact today. It is a fact that northern latitudes are now warming faster than the equatorial and some southern regions.

Everyone must commit to net zero. We have no choice.

Collaboration between governments across the world, organisations, businesses and all of us will drive us towards net zero targets.

Collaboration is key. 

At Salix our work is fundamental. Every part of our work will have an impact on the big picture. Our mission is to play a leading role in helping the public sector and housing transition to a low carbon future. Our work ensures government funding is tackling decarbonisation and climate change, enabling action at a local level.

Our climate future is being made today. That is why everyone we speak to, whether it is across governments, or the public sector cannot go fast enough with this work.

We sense this urgency every day. 

At Salix we began delivering the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme on behalf of the government in 2020 and since then we’ve delivered more than £3 billion worth of funding for this scheme on behalf of government.

More than 20,000 decarbonisation projects are now either operating or in development across the country thanks to this work.

In January 2023 we expanded beyond the public sector to take on housing. We were appointed government delivery agent for Wave 2 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant.

Whether it is through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, Low Carbon Skills Fund and Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Scheme – our goals are the same.

Every day our teams are looking at complex decarbonisation technologies and how they will work within a particular environment. Together with organisations we discuss energy savings, cost savings and explore multiple energy efficient measures which are unique to every site.

We’re on a mission to make homes and buildings more comfortable and healthier places to be in. We’re also very keen to visit projects to explore how people have been impacted by the decarbonisation works. 

Our team visited Salisbury NHS Trust where patients are already seeing the impact of the major new energy efficiency works there.

Carers say the better environment is helping recovery rates. In addition to work completed, the trust has plans to install 13 low carbon heat pumps to its district hospital and has received funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. 

The trust already has an impressive set of solar PV panels. In just one building the solar panels have proved 20% more efficient than previous technologies, according to the trust.

The hospital’s green plan maps out its carbon reduction objectives which supports the NHS goals to deliver a carbon net zero healthcare system by 2040.

Interim deputy head of estates at the trust Thomas Sneddon told us: “The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 3b funding has been a game-changer for our trust. It represents a substantial investment in our estate’s infrastructure – the largest in recent memory – and a major leap forward in our decarbonisation journey.”

Part of this success is because the trust has embedded sustainability into its culture and processes. As well as introducing local carbon energy sources it has engaged with the wider community to create more energy efficient ways of working.

It’s fascinating to see how technology, ambition and collaboration are driving these projects at Salisbury.

Our housing work is also seeing positive outcomes for people and the planet. When our chief executive Emma Clancy visited Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to look at a Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) project being delivered by Six Town Housing in Bury she was impressed to hear how GMCA had retrofitted 870 homes under Wave 1 of the scheme. This brought them up to EPC band C or above. A further 5,481 homes are expected to be retrofitted under Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1. This will make living conditions so much better for more Greater Manchester residents. 

We’ve also been working with North York Moors National Park Authority. 

National parks face huge net zero challenges.

The National Park Authority already collaborates with communities to support the sustainable management of moorland. 

And to ensure it retains an abundance of species and habitats, the authority has placed climate change and nature recovery at the forefront of its vision for growth.

It was awarded funding under Phase 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help decarbonise two of its centres: Sutton Bank and Danby Lodge National Park Centres.

Project leaders were determined to replace a carbon emitting kerosene boiler with an air source heat pump.

The Sutton Bank project is now saving an estimated 42 tonnes of carbon annually and as well as being more energy efficient it will create a more comfortable environment for those using the venue.

It’s another case where ambition and collaboration are coming together to create a vision for the future.

When our Salix team visited Bristol City Council, we learned how significant changes to the way people work and commute had been influenced by ambitious green technology.

The council has installed various technologies across multiple sites including air source heat pumps and LED lighting. This is all part of the council drive to achieve their 2030 net zero target.

It was inspirational to visit the Bottle Yard Studios which has emerged as an example of environmental responsibility. Work here has included the installation of electrically powered radiant heating solutions and floor to ceiling insulation.

The installation of LED radiant heaters has meant that visiting production units no longer have to bring their own heating. The wall insulation has helped reduce heating loss by about 85%, according to the studios.

These are positive results and have set a good example to others.

We also visited the council’s Welsman Offices which has also benefited from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and expert support from Salix.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding has helped pay for air source heat pumps, replacing the ageing gas boilers and removing the need for gas on site.

We were interested to hear from the council that the project has not only provided jobs but has upskilled contractors and addressed the long-standing heating issues. This is a huge result.

Furthermore, a new water source heat pump which replaced an outdated 15-year-old system has changed staff working habits. It has encouraged people to work from the office more often. 

In fact, even commuter habits have changed with people cycling to work, knowing they can have a hot shower when they get there.

It’s as simple as that.

At Salix we have learned that through collaboration – and that means all of us as well as business and governments – we can make these changes happen.

To read more about the projects we work with, visit our website.