More than 100 projects embark on next step of the decarbonisation journey

Work has started for public sector organisations set on creating heat decarbonisation plan for their buildings, thanks to government funding.

Phase 5 of the Low Carbon Skills Fund has awarded £15 million worth of grants to 118 organisations to support their green plans.

The scheme is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by our teams at Salix. It provides funds so detailed heat decarbonisation plans can be created, which may be used to inform capital energy efficiency works.

One of the projects awarded funding is the British Film Institute (BFI) which has been given £57m to develop their heat decarbonisation plan for its site at South Bank in London as well as their conservation centre, film archive and offices, also in the city.

The BFI is the UK’s leading organisation for film and moving image and the BFI National Archive houses the world’s largest film and television archive. A huge part of its focus is to work with Government as well as industry to ensure the UK’s screen industries flourish.

Salix programme manager for the Low Carbon Skills Fund Christopher Masters said: “It’s amazing that so many incredible buildings will now be impacted by the fund.

“Whilst we are privileged to work alongside culturally important sites which preserve our heritage, we’re also delighted to work closely with schools and those smaller sites as they progress their decarbonisation journey.

“It demonstrates that we all have a vital role to play as we meet the challenges around achieving net zero.”

Another famous institution to be awarded a Low Carbon Skills Fund Grant is the National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, which houses some of the world’s most iconic paintings. The collection of 220,000 pieces includes works from the 8th Century to the present day.

Other organisations to be awarded funding include Manchester City Council, the University of Chester, Merseyside Police and North East Lincolnshire Council.

The projects vary in size with awards from £5k awarded to Claverdon Primary School in Warwick to £750k which has been awarded to Barts Health NHS Trust.

Chris added: “We are looking forward to working alongside these organisations and monitoring their progress from the smaller sites to the large-scale projects.”

Westmorland and Furness Council has been awarded £370,000 to carry out a major decarbonisation assessment across all 69 of its schools.

Cllr Giles Archibald Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for climate, biodiversity and environmental services, said: “To be successful in securing this substantial grant to support our journey to become more energy efficient and carbon net zero by 2037 is a huge achievement.

“We have clear plans to get us there, through our Carbon Management Strategy and Climate Action Plan, but new initiatives and injections of funding such as this, means those plans can evolve and grow as we look at more ways to tackle the global issue of climate change. 

“The school decarbonisation review will enhance the work we are already doing and will help us in applying for further eco-funding as it is announced. 

“I am confident that we can create a greener, healthier, more resilient Westmorland and Furness and continue to make it a great place to live, work and thrive.”

Phase 5 of the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund has provided the £15 million of grant funding for the financial year 2024 to 2025 for eligible public sector bodies.

Successful applicants need to complete their heat decarbonisation plans by 31 March 2025. 

For a full list of successful grant recipients please see gov.uk