Your partner for a low carbon future
This page provides guidance on Salix requirements to approve a request to change the scope of your Phase 3a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme project, detailing the situations where a change request may be required, the information required for Salix to be able to assess and approve a change and the key dates for submitting any change requests.
Salix is keen to support you through your decarbonisation journey helping you meet all your milestones.
We only expect to receive scope change requests when there is reasonable confidence in the final design, namely when designs and tenders are complete. For this reason, we expect each grant recipient to submit a maximum of one change request of good quality to minimise queries. Please see below for definitions of a change request.
Definitions of a change request
Change request timeline
Please contact your relationship manager at the earliest opportunity if you expect you may need to submit a scope change request for your project with funding in financial year 2024-25, to discuss next steps.
Any change requests for Phase 3a multi-year projects with grant end date 31 March 2025 must be submitted by Monday 30 September 2024.
The expected turnaround time for change request assessments will be 20 working days from the point all required supporting information is received. Any change requests submitted after September 2024 will not be held to this 20 day turnaround.
Please note that any claims submitted to us for measures that are not approved by a change request will not be eligible for payment and the portion of your total grant value impacted will be at risk.
If your project’s grant end date is 31 March 2025, we expect you to submit any changes to your project to us by 30 September 2024.
If your project’s grant end date is 31 March 2026, your first year of grant funding is still dependent on the eligibility of your project so we request you discuss any changes with your relationship manager early and get a change request approved where needed to access all of the grant allocated to you in your first year of funding.
The time frame from submission of a change request to approval is expected to be 20 working days after all the supporting information needed for the assessment is submitted. It is important to note that the turnaround for assessment of late change requests submitted after 30 September 2024 is expected to be longer.
The only difference in the change request process is that the 3c projects will be requested to submit a new project form as part of their supporting information instead of an updated application form which the 3a and 3b projects will be requested to submit.
When you notify us that you are expecting to submit a change request, we will ask you to forecast a date by when you expect to submit all the required information to us. Based on this date we will generate a bespoke project form for your project and notify you if you will need to fill out the new project form. We plan to implement this change in August 2024.
Yes, if you are ready to submit your change request imminently, then please submit your updated application form instead of the new project form along with all the supporting information which you will find in our webinar slides and on the change requests page of our website.
If you expect to submit your change request later in August, then based on the date of submission, we will be able to inform you whether you will need to use the new project form.
If your grant offer covers both FYs 2024-25 and 2025-26, we encourage you to confirm your detailed designs and raise any required changes with your relationship manager early. A scope change may impact your ability to access your grant funding allocated in FY 2024-25 as we will need to have technical assurance that the new project is compliant before we can release your funds. You will still be able to submit a change request in FY 2025-26 if there are further changes.
In the interest of giving each of your submissions the right amount of time to be assessed we request that you submit a change request to us only when you are confident with the final design you are proposing so we may keep the numbers to one change request per project where possible.
If your expected design completion dates are too far apart to be able to submit just one change request for your project, please inform your relationship manager who will support you in managing your change requests.
You are encouraged to notify us of any changes to your project even if you have already submitted a change request before 30 September 2024 and you will be requested to submit another change request form if further changes arise. Please note any change request submitted after 30 September 2024 is not guaranteed to be assessed within the 20-day time frame.
We request that you try and wrap all of your changes into a single change request, however, if this is not possible for you, we encourage you to discuss the reasons for this with your relationship manager at the earliest so they can support you in submitting another change request where needed.
A single report can include both a feasibility study and an options appraisal, both are important documents to assess a project, and missing one of these may lead to a request for further information and the assessment taking longer.
In this situation we request that you inform your relationship manager who will collect all the supporting information you have. Please note that the change request will not be submitted until we have all the supporting information we need to be able to assess the eligibility of your change.
In the scenario where we identify that we need further information during the assessment, our assessors will contact you with a request to provide this and we request that you respond to this within two working days to avoid delays in the assessment.
Change in technology types will generally need a change request as we need to review the energy savings calculations used (submitted in an unlocked Excel sheet) to ensure that the proposed carbon savings are correct and eligible, even if it improves CO2 calculations.
We also need to keep an updated record of the measures you are delivering in your scope, as we will not be able to approve claims for costs related to technologies that don’t appear on your latest approved scope.
In this situation, since solar PV is an existing measure on your latest approved application and does not impact direct carbon, you will not need a change request submission for this change.
However, we request you to provide us with an updated application form with the increased scope and updated total costs, which may affect your minimum contribution, to sufficiently document the change in the scope of this measure. Notifying us of this change in your monthly monitoring report (MMR) and in your monthly meetings with your relationship manager is encouraged.
Yes, you can propose to add a completely new energy conservation measure to your project. This will need to be assessed through our change request process and approved by us before you can start claiming for costs related to that measure.
Yes, changing the air source heat pump make and model would be considered a significant alteration to the low-carbon heating system and require a change request, even in the case where the new models being installed are like-for-like replacements i.e. the capacity and seasonal coefficient of performance (sCOP) are the same as the original ASHPs selected.
The delayed completion pathway for projects gives you the ability to extend the completion date of your project beyond the grant end date. Please note that, due to HM Treasury rules, you will not be able to claim the costs for works that take place after your grant end date, even if you were unable to claim the full grant value due to the delays to your project.
This means that you will need to fund all the remaining works yourselves and we will request you to confirm you have this funding available before we approve the extension to your completion date.
All phase 3c funding has now been allocated and we have started collecting data on underspend from projects.
Underspend from PSDS 3c projects is reported to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) monthly throughout the delivery of the scheme. Funding will not be reallocated. Your grant value cannot increase after your Grant Offer Letter has been issued.
It is not possible for us to carry over grant funding allocated in FY 2024-25 to FY 2025-26 for any project due to HM Treasury rules.
This means that once you have signed your Grant Offer Letter (GOL) to confirm your year one and two allocation split (in the case of multi-year projects) the maximum funding you can claim for your project in each year is capped at the values approved.
You can use your minimum recipient contribution (the greater between your like-for-like costs and 12% of your total project value) flexibly based on the requirements of your project, including completing your project after the grant end date subject to Salix approval of an extension to your project’s completion date.
Please note that, if the costs of completing your project to its agreed scope after the grant end date exceeds your minimum recipient contribution level an alternative source of funding will need to cover these additional costs.
Yes, we will not be able to continue making grant payments for works affected by a change request and if the change request affects the eligibility of the entire site, any other measures that you may proceed with on that site will be at your own risk until the change request has been approved.
The exception to this is claims for costs for measures on other sites that are still compliant and part of your latest approved project scope.
Yes, design costs for a new measure can be claimed through the grant. To be able to do so this measure will first need to be approved through a change request. If this change is not approved, you will not be able to claim the cost of these works from the grant.
You will only be able to claim design costs for the measures that are in the latest approved scope of your project.
Any design fees that include other costs, including costs for the design of new measures intended to be added through a change request, need to be excluded from the claims you submit to us.
In this situation, we request that you review your forecasted payments and provide us with an updated payment forecast that reflects the exclusion of the expected costs related to the new measures which may be added back into the forecast after the change request is approved.
1. Change request form
Please fill in Part I of the change request form template available above with all proposed adjustments to your project outlined clearly. Part I of the form has four sections that you need to complete:
*Please note: The declaration section of our change request form will need to be agreed and signed off by the registered accountable officer for your Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme project (named in the Grant Offer Letter). Without this, a change request will not be considered. If a consultant has updated the application form on your behalf, please ensure you are confident that all changes have been made correctly prior to submitting the change request, as the grant recipient is ultimately accountable for ensuring correct information is provided. Incorrect information may affect the maximum eligible grant value upon completion.
Please leave Part II of the change request form blank, as this is for Salix internal use only.
2. Supporting information
Please see the webinar slides available to download below for a checklist showing what is required for the different types of scope change.
The following supporting information is required to assess a scope change:
If your change request includes a site change, additional information is required, with the expectation that the level of detail will resemble that provided at the initial application stage:
Further information required to complete the change request assessment may be requested at the discretion of the assessor.
Your relationship manager will acknowledge that you have completed the form, and you will be contacted by either a member of the energy and carbon technical team or one of Salix’s technical advisors if any other supporting information is required for the Salix review process. Swift responses to any queries will enable us to support the timely approval of your requested changes.
Salix can only begin reviewing the change request once all the requested documentation is received and will aim to confirm a decision within 20 working days. If insufficient information is provided or there are inadequate responses within a given timeline, Salix reserves the right to reject the change request.
Your relationship manager will inform you when the assessment is completed. If your change request is approved, you will be issued a Grant Amendment Letter confirming the approved changes, for signature by your authorising official.
Change requests must be submitted to Salix and approved prior to the delivery of any amended elements of the project. Any changes to the project may affect the project's ability to meet the scheme criteria and therefore the level of funding available, so we advise seeking approval before proceeding with changes to the project as funding is not secure until this point.
You should be aware that a reduction in gas savings may see your eligible grant value decrease. We encourage you to update your application form regularly to understand whether your grant value is impacted by changes to the project.
We expect all outstanding conditions associated with the 'project approval' and 'detailed designs complete' milestones to be resolved prior to a change request. All other outstanding conditions, that are considered by Salix as reasonable by this stage in your project, should also be resolved prior to a change request. Please contact your relationship manager for more information.
Scheme change request deadlines for single-year projects with grant end date 31 March 2023
1. Major scope change – 31 October 2022
2. Minor scope change – 16 January 2023
3. Scope reduction and cost change – scheme end date 31 March 2023
Key updates
To support you with the successful and timely delivery of Phase 3a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme projects, we have produced a brief video that reiterates key messages and deadlines. Our video specifically talks you through the deadlines of 16 January and 31 March 2023. The video also runs you through exactly what is needed for an acceptable change request, as well as looking at the change request form, the supporting information and what we expect from these.
For projects with grant end date 31 March 2024, the deadline to submit a change request was Monday 11 September 2023.
Please note - If your project is following the delayed completion process and you require or are likely to require a late change request (see change request definition) please contact your relationship manager as a matter of urgency to discuss options.
As stated in the change request definitions, minor energy efficiency measures may be removed from scope prior to completion without submitting a change request. However, Salix must be informed of these changes and these should be detailed in a final revised application form submitted as per Schedule 2 of the Grant Offer Letter on practical completion of your project.
All grant recipients are required to submit a final updated application form on project completion to verify the total eligible grant value. Please note if any changes in costs, measures or energy savings after the grant end date take your project beyond the £325/tCO2 carbon compliance threshold, you will be required to repay the difference between your final payment and reduced eligible grant value.
Multi-year projects – financial year 2023-24
For multi-year projects with grant end date 31 March 2024 requiring change request approval to claim financial year 23-24 grant funds, the deadline for change requests to be submitted was Monday 22 January 2024. This was to ensure ample time for us to assess and, if required, query the change request ahead of the deadline for financial year 23-24 payments. Any change requests submitted after 22 January 2024 were reviewed on a case by case basis.
For multi-year projects, a change request is generally not necessary to access financial year 23-24 grant funds if you are able to submit your remaining financial year 23-24 payment requests for costs associated with pre-approved technologies and sites. A change request is required if there are any changes to the low carbon heating systems which may affect the eligible grant value. If so, we will be unable to make payment for costs incurred for any measures on the associated sites until a revised application form is assessed and the change request approved.
Please see the ‘frequently asked questions’ page of the Phase 3a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme section of our website – or ask your Salix relationship manager for support!
